-Paenibacillus larvae larvae is the causative agent of American foulbrood (AFB), a serious honeybee disease. The ability to detect and identify this organism promptly is important to allow effective sanitary measures in case of AFB. P. larvae larvae is a fastidious and slow-growing bacterium and primary isolation and presumptive identification can be difficult and time-consuming. In this study the use of PCR is described for a rapid and reliable diagnosis. The developed PCR assay is specific for P. larvae as no amplicons were produced from 13 related or hive-related species. Only with P. larvae larvae and P. larvae pulvifaciens DNA as template, an amplicon was formed. A positive reaction was also observed when DNA was extracted directly from remains of an AFB diseased larva. Thus this PCR assay provides a reliable diagnosis for AFB in only 4 hours.American foulbrood / diagnosis / Paenibacillus larvae larvae / PCR / 16S rRNA

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Aims: The aim of the study is to examine the disinfection of wood contaminated with Paenibacillus larvae subsp. larvae spores, in order to ®nd a practical decontamination method for hive materials. Methods and Results: The number of viable spores recovered after the treatment, on the surface by swabbing, and in the deeper parts of the wood by scraping, was used to test the ef®ciency of the disinfection. Our results indicate that chemical disinfection is only complete when high concentrations (> 50%) of the disinfectant are used. Heat treatment in general was found to be very effective. The scorching of wood was not satisfactory as it only killed spores at the surface. Conclusions: Complete disinfection is only possible with some heat treatments or by using high concentrations of chemical disinfectants. Signi®cance and Impact of the Study: This study puts forward some methods that can provide complete decontamination, which is necessary for an effective control of American foulbrood disease.