Occurrence of Nosema ceranae, Ascosphaera apis and trypanosomatids in Vespa orientalis linneus 1771

Vespa orientalis is spreading across the Italian and European territories leading to new interactions among species, which could lead to the transmission of pathogens between species. Detection of honey bee viruses in V. orientalis has already been revealed in both adults and larvae, while no information is available regarding parasitic occurrence. Sixty adult hornets collected across apiaries in the South of Italy were subjected to cytological, histopathological and biomolecular examination to evaluate the occurrence of Nosema ceranae, Ascosphaera apis, Lotmaria passim, Crithidia mellificae, and Crithidia bombi.

Cytological examination revealed the presence of Nosema spores in 38.33% of individuals while histopathological analysis showed the presence of L. passim-like elements in the rectum of two examined specimens and the presence of fungal hyphae in the small intestine of another hornet. Biomolecular investigation revealed that N. ceranae was the most prevalent pathogen (50.0%), followed by A. apis (6.66%), L. passim (6.66%) and C. bombi (6.0%).