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Faculty

Bees To Sheep:

Research Supports

Oregon Farms

BY LYN SMITH-GLORIA

Honeybees pollinate dozens of Oregon crops and are critical to
the agricultural economy. In recent years, annual honeybee colony
losses have averaged 30%, alarming both beekeepers and farmers.
There are many causes for this decline in honeybee populations,
including pesticides, habitat loss, and disease. Dr. Manoj Pastey, an
associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at
the CCVM, is tackling the latter. His research team has developed
diagnostic tests for six common honeybee diseases that will help
veterinarians treat sick colonies.

In the past, most veterinarians did not treat bee disease, but in
2017 the USDA began requiring veterinary oversight of antibiotics
given to food animals, and honeybees are classified as livestock/
food-producing animals because they produce a product that is
consumed by humans. Suddenly beekeepers had to get prescrip-
tions from veterinarians, many of whom knew little or nothing
about bees. The veterinarians also had no method for testing bees to
determine the cause of disease and prescribe accordingly.

“There is an urgent need for rapid, highly sensitive and reliable
diagnostic tests to detect pathogens in bees,” says Dr. Pastey.
“Our lab has successfully developed a test for two common bee
pathogens, and are in the process of developing two more.”

There is still work to be done before the tests are available to veteri-
narians. “It will take at least one more year,” says Dr. Pastey. “We
know it works in the lab, but have to validate the efficacy in the
real world.” His team will be collecting samples of dead bees from
around the state, and using them to define testing standards. The
results will be sent to the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
at CCVM who will adapt the tests for practical use, with a goal
of making them available to veterinarians. “They will be the only
laboratory in the U.S. to offer this test,” says Dr. Pastey.

New Vaccine For Sheep and Cows

Dr. Luiz Bermudez, Head of the Department of Biomedical
Sciences, also has a research team working on projects that will
18 • Oregon State University Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine