The mechanisms of action behind decreased mite reproduction (DMR) are still unknown, but current hypotheses state that DMR is the result of brood-intrinsic and/or external disturbances in the V. destructor-honey bee pupa signal interactions. For accurate and precise DMR phenotyping, sufficient single infested honey bee brood cells are required (e.g...
In 2019, a joint eight-variant model was published in which eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in seven Apis mellifera genes were associated with Varroa destructor drone brood resistance (DBR, i.e. mite non-reproduction in drone brood). As this model was derived from only one Darwinian Black Bee Box colony, it could not directly be applie...
Published in Vaccines
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a severe pandemic of the current century. The vicious tentacles of the disease have been disseminated worldwide with unknown complications and repercussions. Advanced COVID-19 syndrome is characterized by the uncontrolled and elevated rel...
The influence of some taxational indicators (forest type, completeness, the proportion of oak in the composition of the stand) on the degree of infection of overgrown stands with oak tinder has been studied. The highest infection of oak trees with tinder was noted in the fine-grained, grain-fine-grained and snytevo-yasmennikov types of forest. The ...
This study assessed the levels of mycotoxins in maize from Kenyan households. Further, local open pollinated maize varieties were compared with commercial hybrids to evaluate which variety is less susceptible to myco-toxin contamination. Four hundred and eighty (n = 480) maize samples were collected in the years 2018-2020 from households in Eastern...
Published in Veterinary Research
Psoroptic mange is a common disease of livestock, caused by Psoroptes ovis. Compared to Holstein–Friesian (HF) cattle, the Belgian Blue (BB) cattle breed is highly susceptible to the infestation. However, the mechanism for this difference is still unclear. To determine the factors responsible for this breed susceptibility, the immune response to P....
Explaining the reasons for the high honey bee (Apis mellifera) colony loss rate in recent years has become a top global research priority in apicultural and agricultural sciences. Although there are indications of the role played by beekeeping management practices on honey bee health, very little information is currently available. Our study aimed ...
Published in International journal for parasitology. Drugs and drug resistance
When used for the evaluation of drug efficacy against Psoroptes ovis, the diagnostic performance of different sampling strategies for a mite count reduction test (MCRT) remains unclear. In the present study, a novel simulation framework was constructed that accounted for relevant biological features of P. ovis infestations in cattle and that was pa...
Published in Parasites & Vectors
BackgroundPsoroptic mange is an important disease in Belgian Blue cattle. Treatment failure of macrocyclic lactones against Psoroptes ovis has been reported, but clear evidence of in vivo resistance is lacking. This study assessed the efficacy of macrocyclic lactone products on 16 beef farms in Belgium and the Netherlands in vivo and in vitro.Metho...
Establishing balanced nutrient requirements for maize (Zea mays L.) in the Northern Nigerian Savanna is paramount to develop site-specific fertilizer recommendations to increase maize yield, profits of farmers and avoid negative environmental impacts of fertilizer use. The model QUEFTS (QUantitative Evaluation of Fertility of Tropical Soils) was us...
