Septicaemia - Pseudomonas

Causal agent		Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Gram negative rods.
Age group		Adult honey bees
Egg	Larvae		Pupae	Adult - worker	Drone	Queen
No	No		No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Clinical signs
Adult		Dead or dying bees with a putrid odour.
Infectivity
		Bees die within 24 hours
Transmission
		Pseudomonas is a common inhabitant of the environment
Post-mortem Lesions
		The disease results in a destruction of the connective tissues of the thorax, legs, wings and antennae. When handled the bees fall apart. Dead or dying bees may have a putrid odour.
Diagnosis
		Prepare a bacterial smear by removing the wing from the thorax. Dip the wing base into a drop of water on a microscope slide Gram stain. Culture by streaking the base of the wing across blood agar.
Treatment
		Antibiotics
Control		Review hive environment and biosecurity
Common differentials
		None
Zoonosis		Pseudomonas can affect man