engleski

Leucine aminopeptidase activity in the midgut of nosema diseased honeybees (Apis mellifera)

The aim of this study was to determine leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) activity in the midgut of nosema diseased honeybees. Nosema sp. spores were confifi rmed in 60% of the coprologically examined individual honeybees. For laboratory testing 100 honeybees were collected randomly from three beehives. LAP enzyme activity in the midgut of the honeybees was assessed qualitatively, based on the intensity of staining in histological preparations. In bees in which the midgut coprological examination did not reveal Nosema sp. spores, the epithelial cells were red-purple stained, and all the layers of the walls of the midgut were visible. The intensity of honeybees naturally infected with microsporidia Nosema sp. increased while the intensity of the staining gradually decreased, showing progressively less pronounced LAP enzyme activity. Also there was an increasing number of damaged epithelial cells. Therefore, nosema disease can be considered as the disease of choice for studying LAP enzyme activity and determining the degree of microsporidium infection.

leucine aminopeptidase; honeybee; nosema disease

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