In the last decade, the loss of the honey-bees population has been continuously increasing worldwide; this phenomenon is referred to as colony collapse disorder. Several causes are associated with this situation, including inter alia honey-bee infections by various pathogens. In the present study, protocols for rapid and sensitive diagnosis of some pathogens were set up and tested during a preliminary survey in three Moroccan regions. In this context, new primer pairs were designed and validated in qPCR for Nosema ceranae, Aspergillus flavus, Paenibacillus larvae and Black queen cell virus (BQCV). Preliminary monitoring of the main honey-bee pathogens in Moroccan apiaries was performed using the newly developed protocols and the already reported RT-PCR for the detection of Bee macula-like virus (BeeMLV), Deformed wing virus (DWV) and Slow bee paralysis virus (SBPV). Interestingly, N.
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ceranae was detected in all the surveyed beehives, followed by BQCV (94%), A. flavus (81%) and BeeMLV (38%). In contrast, P. larvae, DWV and SBPV were not detected. No difference was observed among the regions in terms of prevalence and infection intensities of the detected pathogens. Finally, the present study reports for the first time the presence o f A. flavus, BQCV and BeeMLV in Moroccan apiaries.
