Sacbrood Virus

Causal agent		Morator aetatulas
Age group
Egg	Larvae		Pupae	Adult - worker		Drone	Queen
No	No
Clinical signs
Outside		None
Odour		None
Brood		Few abnormal cells
Cappings		Almost no torn cappings. Scattered cells.
Larvae appearance		Larvae dies just before pupation – upright in cell – so normally in capped cell
		Head development retarded and head darker than the rest of the body
		Larvae colour is pearly white to gray and finally black.
		When larvae removed from the cell, often appear to be in a sac filled with water
Scales (larvae)		Grey, brown and brittle, loose in cell, slipper shaped
		Sacbrood larvae removed from cell			“Chinese slipper”
Other		Often seen in association with Chalkbrood - Ascosphaera apis
Infectivity
		Virus mildly pathogen and not resistant
Transmission
Post-mortem Lesions
		Retarded head development
Diagnosis
		Appearance of larvae
Treatment
		Spontaneous recovery – especially when nectar flows are strong
		Note concentration of hives in an area
		Re-queen hive
		Regular and routine brood comb changes – 3 frames per year per super
Common differentials
Zoonosis		None