investigation of european and american foulbrood infections with commercial immunochromatographic test kits

Honey bees (apis mellifera) are vital in ecosystem health and agriculture, serving as essential pollinators and contributing significantly to plant biodiversity. beyond their environmental benefits, they also provide valuable economic products, including honey, royal jelly, and propolis. honey bees are susceptible to various diseases, including viral and bacterial infections. among the most devastating threats are foulbrood diseases: european foulbrood (efb) caused by melissococcus plutonius and american foulbrood (afb) caused by paenibacillus larvae. these diseases can severely damage bee populations, leading to significant economic losses for beekeepers. prompt identification and treatment of foulbrood diseases are crucial for preventing their spread and protecting bee colonies. while traditional diagnostic methods like bacterial isolation, antigen detection, microscopic tests, and pcr are effective, they often require specialized equipment and expertise. commercial kits have been developed to address the need for a more accessible and rapid detection method. this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of commercial rapid diagnosis kits for detecting foulbrood diseases in iranian apiaries. thirty brood combs were collected from different regions of iran and tested using the honeybee foulbrood test kit. despite testing 30 samples, no positive results for efb or afb were found. despite its advantages of speed, cost-effectiveness, and on-site testing, the rapid diagnosis kits used in this study require further validation. while the results are promising, additional research is necessary to confirm their accuracy and reliability. comparative studies with traditional diagnostic methods can help assess the sensitivity and specificity of these kits. additionally, investigating the factors influencing the prevalence of foulbrood diseases in iranian apiaries can inform targeted prevention and control strategies.