Battling a Honey Bee Pathogen

Our health is impacted directly by human specific pathogens and indirectly by pathogens affecting other organisms important to us. One such organism is the honey bee or Apis mellifera as biologists sometimes refer to them. In recent years honey bees have been afflicted by an array of problems which has produced disease and death in honey bee colonies as well as the dreaded colony collapse disorder. Honey bee health problems appear to be exacerbated by increased world trade which introduces new organisms into habitats they were previously not part of.

Genomic Analyses of the Microsporidian Nosema ceranae, an Emergent Pathogen of Honey Bees is a research paper published by PLOS Pathogens and authored by R. Scott Cornman, Yan Ping Chen, Michael C. Schatz, Craig Street, Yan Zhao, Brian Desany, Michael Egholm, Stephen Hutchison, Jeffery S. Pettis, W. Ian Lipkin and Jay D. Evans. The paper is focused on an organism known as Nosema ceranae or N. ceranae; the abbreviation generally used by scientists. N. ceranae is a unicellular parasitite of adult honey bees and belongs to the microsporidia phylum which are spore-forming parasites. The research group sequenced the genome of N. ceranae so as to better understand the organism. Increased understanding can lead to effective strategies that mitigate infectious damage to honey bee colonies.

The authors traced the possible proliferation pathway for N. ceranae:

N. ceranae was first described from colonies of the Asian honey bee, Apis cerana, that were sympatric with A. mellifera colonies in China. Fries et al. [5] suggested that a host switch from A. ceranae to A. mellifera occurred relatively recently. Currently, N. ceranae is the predominant microsporidian parasite of bees in North America [6] and Europe [3].

The paper depicts health effects of the pathogen:

Health impacts of Nosema infection on honey bees include a decreased ability to acquire nutrients from the environment and ultimately a shortened lifespan [8]. At the colony level, Nosema infection can lead to poor colony growth and poor winter survivorship.

The linkage between Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and N. ceranae are not precisely specifiable. The pathogen may be a contributory cause or one of several pathogenic challenges resulting in CCD. By sequencing the N. ceranae genome it is hoped that we are closer to being able to safeguard the welfare of honey bees. Honey bees provide billions of dollars of pollination services to farmers in the United States, making possible the food we purchase at reasonable prices. Of course honey bees provide honey and other bee products as well and are extremely valuable to us.

The authors suggest a possible approach to treating N. ceranae infections in honey bees by noting that genes encoding signal peptides may be found in proteins that interact with tissue of the host honey bees. Medications able to disrupt regulatory mechanisms in humans have proven to be effective in the treatment of various diseases. Perhaps parallel strategies will aid honey bees in resisting the N. ceranae parasite.

Caring for the Eyes

5 Secrets to Preserve Your Eyesight is packed with advice on eyecare. They include nourishment tips as well as behavioral advice. Some tips, like proper hydration, come as no surprise but the advice to drink daily, a mixture consisting of four ounces of fresh spinach boiled in four cups of water, was new to me. The scientific explanation lies in the fact that spinach has lutein and zeaxanthin which are antioxidants. They protect the retina from macular degeneration which tends to come with age. Dr. Maoshing Ni is the author of the piece which appears at Dr. Mao's Secrets of Longevity.

Peanut Oil

The use of peanut oil for cooking yields advantages, not simply with regard to taste and ease of food preparation, but with respect to health effects as well. Olive oil and peanut oil are largely mono-unsaturated oils which means they are better for us than some alternative cooking oils. However, unlike olive oil, peanut oil has a high smoke point. For further information on peanut oil follow this link.

Coercing Health Care

America's Health Insurance Plans is an organization composed of about 1,300 member companies which provide health insurance coverage to over 200 million Americans. This trade association, representing the interests of health care insurers, has launched a campaign, they depict as grass roots, whose goal is to push for government health care initiatives.

The Heritage Foundation has argued (correctly in my view) that the health insurance industry is convinced that coercing 50 million Americans into becoming customers is good for business.

Nutritional Information Sites

Nutrition is a subject matter relevant to people of every age and ethnic group. The following links are to sites with information about nutrition topics that may be both interesting and helpful.

Nutrition.gov

Nutrition Journal

Harvard School of Public Health

American Society for Nutrition

Medline Plus

Annual Reviews

Food and Nutrition Information Center

The Journal of Nutrition

Science Daily Nutrition News

Fiber: An Introduction

The question, what is fiber?, is answered at this link of MedicineNet.com. Inclusion of fiber in one's diet is essential to avoid constipation. Fiber is found in plants which we ingest in the form of fruits, grains and vegetables. It is the undigestible part which includes carbohydrates for which our bodies lack enzymes able to break them down.

Fiber can be soluble or insoluble. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and includes beans as well as fruits like apples, bananas and berries. Insoluble fiber allows for increased movement through the digestive tract. Sources include whole wheat, bran, nuts and some fruit and vegetable skins.