
The US Department of Agriculture approved a vaccine to prevent a bacterial condition from attacking honeybee larvae
A vaccine aimed to prevent fatalities in honeybees has recently been approved in the US.
According to a report by the BBC on Thursday, January 5, the department of agriculture a conditional license for a vaccine for American foulbrood disease, a bacterial condition. This condition weakens colonies of honeybees by attacking their larvae.
As bees play a crucial role in pollination, they are very critical to several aspects of the ecosystem.
“The vaccine could serve as a breakthrough in protecting honeybees”, said Annette Kleiser, Dalan Animal Health CEO, as per a statement in the report.
She added, “The new vaccine contains an inactive version of the bacteria that causes American foulbrood disease, Paenibacillus larvae”.
The report said that the vaccine works by introducing an inactive version of the bacteria to the queen. This allows future larvae to gain immunity against bacterial infections.
This move comes after the US has been reportedly witnessing an annual decrease in the colonies of honeybees since 2006, as per data by the USDA.
The USDA also blames other factors for this decrease in honeybee populations. This includes parasites, pests, and other diseases.
Another reason for this is a phenomenon known as “Colony Collapse Disorder”. This happens after worker bees leave the queen behind after abandoning the hive.
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