Subject: Re: Bees & Lyme disease !!!

From: [email-masked] (Paul F. Lehmann, Ph.D.)
Date: 25 Nov 1996 19:07:21 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, SteveAustin <[email-masked]> wrote:

> Heard yesterday from a MD in Europe who felt that bees were able to
> carry the Borrelia spirochete involved in Lyme disease. This is shocking
> news to so many people involved in Apitherapy. Known carriers of the
> spirochete are deer and mice. Certainly mice try to get into hives.
>   Any confiration or theory on this matter GREATLY appreciated.
>                                          Best Regards, Steve.

Just a point about carriage of "bacteria and viruses" by insects and ticks
etc.  First the organism has to get into the insect, then it has to escape
the gut into the coelomic cavity, then, in biting insects, it has to
penetrate the salivary glands.  It will need to grow within the insect if
is successfully to be passed on.  With bees, a pathogen would have to
enter the venom sac to be transmitted. 

Your MD "felt" bees could transmit Lyme disease.  I "feel" it is very unlikely -
Well I suppose I "feel" that bees could become "carriers" if you were to
mince an infected mouse/deer onto them, then rub the mince-contaminated
bees into wounds you had previsiously made on your skin to mimic tick
bites.  I don't have any evidence that this would work though.  Just a
"feeling."    

There have been numerous studies on carriage of pathogens by insects etc.,
a whole branch of medical entomology exists for this and the studies can
be even more interesting than beekeeping!  E.g. does hepatitis B virus get
transmitted by cockroaches in brothels?  Now what does your "authority"
feel about that question?

Paul F. Lehmann
Department of Microbiology & Immunology
Medical College of Ohio
[email-masked]