International Journal for Parasitology, doi: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2011.10.005 Jilian Lia, Wenfeng Chenc, Jie Wua, Wenjun Penga, Jiandong Ana, Paul Schmid-Hempelb, Regula Schmid-HempelBumblebees (Bombus spp.) are important pollinators of many economically important crops and microsporidia are among the most important infections of these hosts. Using molecular markers, we screened a large sample (n = 1,009 bees) of workers of 27 different Bombus spp. from China (Sichuan, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia, and Gansu provinces). The results showed that 62 individuals representing 12 Bombus spp. were infected by microsporidia with an overall prevalence of 6.1%. Based on the haplotypes (ssrRNA sequences), we confirmed the presence of Nosema bombi, Nosema ceranae and (likely) Nosema thomsoni. In addition, four new putatively novel taxa were identified by phylogenetic reconstruction: Nosema A, Nosema B-complex, Nosema C-complex and Nosema D-complex. In many cases, hosts were infected by more than one Nosema taxon. Possible caveats of sequence analyses are discussed.
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