Parasitized bees are self-medicating in the wild

Date: September 1, 2015

Source: Dartmouth College

Summary: Bumblebees infected with a common intestinal parasite are drawn to flowers whose nectar and pollen have a medicinal effect, a study shows. The findings suggest that plant chemistry could help combat the decline of bee species.

Bumblebees infected with a common intestinal parasite are drawn to flowers whose nectar and pollen have a medicinal effect, a Dartmouth-led study shows. The findings suggest that plant chemistry could help combat the decline of bee species.

The researchers previously found in lab studies that nectar containing nicotine and other natural chemicals in plants significantly reduced the number of parasites in sickened bees, but the new study shows parasitized bees already are taking advantage of natural chemicals in the wild.

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The Weaker Sex: Male Honey Bees More Susceptible Than Females to Widespread Intestinal Parasite

Jan. 18, 2014 — Gender differences in nature are common, including in humans. A research team from Bern, Switzerland has found that male European honey bees, or drones, are much more susceptible than female European honey bees, known as workers, to a fungal intestinal parasite called Nosema ceranae. Originally from Asia, Nosema ceranae has rapidly spread throughout the world in recent years, and may contribute to the high number of colony deaths now observed in many regions of the northern hemisphere. These findings demonstrate the delicate nature of male honey bees, which are important to honey bee colony reproduction, to a well-distributed parasite.

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Human Diarrhea Parasite Found Lurking in Piglets

An intestinal parasite that causes diarrhea in humans also makes its home in pigs.

The existence of the single-celled parasite, Dientamoeba fragilis, in pigs is important, the researchers explain, because it might mean pig feces are one way the parasite has been spreading to humans. More than a billion pigs are housed in farms across the world.

In developed countries, D. fragilis infection rates in people hover around 2 percent to 4 percent. But in developing countries where waste disposal is poor, infection rates of between 19 percent and 69 percent have been reported. Travelers to these countries also often fall prey to the parasite. Infection is sometimes asymptomatic, but it can also cause diarrhea and abdominal pain.

Few animal hosts, or "reservoirs," for D. fragilis had been discovered, researchers reported today (April 11) in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pigs in Italy, however, were reported as having high infection rates. So Italian scientists collected and analyzed 152 fecal samples from nine farms. They found that 52 of 74 piglets, 11 of 14 pigs at the "fattening" stage. and eight of 64 sows tested positive for D. fragilis. Young animals appeared to be most susceptible.

Read on:  http://www.livescience.com/19627-diarrhea-parasite-pigs.html