A grounded synthesis of the most-cited open-access papers on American foulbrood. Every claim is traceable to a cited study; curated overview, not exhaustive.
🔍 Search these papers · 📂 Browse the corpus
American foulbrood (AFB) is the most deleterious bacterial brood disease of honey bees, caused by the Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium Paenibacillus larvae. After more than a century of research it remains a fatal, highly contagious epizootic, and in many countries it is subject to mandatory reporting (Genersch 2010). Its destructiveness rests on extraordinarily durable spores.
AFB begins when a young larva ingests P. larvae spores in its food; the spores germinate in the midgut, the bacteria proliferate and breach the gut, killing the larva and producing billions of new spores that persist for decades (Genersch 2010). Within-colony transmission occurs as nurse bees redistribute spore-contaminated honey and handle infected larval remains (Lindström 2008). This spore durability is why AFB is so hard to eradicate.
P. larvae is differentiated into ERIC genotypes — originally ERIC I–IV, with ERIC V more recently discovered — that differ in virulence and colony-level dynamics (Genersch 2006; Beims 2020). ERIC-PCR genotyping characterises field isolates (Bassi 2015), and specific virulence factors, such as the S-layer protein SplA, have been functionally implicated in pathogenesis (Poppinga 2012).
Because spores survive standard hygiene, the traditional control in many jurisdictions is destruction (burning) of infected colonies. Antibiotics such as tylosin are used in some countries but raise resistance and residue concerns (Okamoto 2021). Novel biological approaches are under investigation, including a bacteriophage-derived endolysin (PlyPl23) with potential to lyse P. larvae (Oliveira 2015).
AFB is defined by its spores: their durability dictates the disease's contagiousness, the difficulty of eradication, and the radical control measures used. Surveillance, strain typing and emerging biologicals are the active frontiers, but vigilance and prompt removal of infected material remain the mainstay.
Genersch, Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 2010 · 293 citations — The definitive review of AFB biology and the pathogen.
Genersch et al., Int. Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology 2006 · 190 citations — Establishes the modern taxonomy underlying ERIC genotyping.
Beims et al., International Journal of Medical Microbiology 2020 · 48 citations — A fifth genotype, extending the virulence framework.
Lindström et al., Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 2008 · 45 citations — How spores move within a colony.
Oliveira et al., PLoS ONE 2015 · 26 citations — A biological control candidate.
Curated synthesis of representative and most-cited studies — not exhaustive. Explore via search. Related: Pests overview · European foulbrood.