Also, the lack of positive and negative controls, and repetitions in the field trials can be viewed as mainly because the primary disadvantages of the study. vaccinated with live and inactivated vaccines prepared from field isolates ofN.ceranae. Eggs were collected weekly for 10 weeks following a last vaccination. IgY extraction was performed using the PEG precipitation method from egg yolks collected from each group, and the purity of the antibodies was determined by SDS-PAGE and Western Blot. The presence ofN.ceranae-specific IgYs was investigated by Western Blot and indirect ELISA methods. It was determined that specific IgYs showed high therapeutic effectiveness onNosemadisease in naturally infected bee colonies. In addition, honey bees collected from infected colonies were brought to the laboratory and placed in cages with 30 bees each, and the effectiveness of IgYs was investigated under controlled conditions. It was detected that specific IgY reduced theNosemaspore weight and the number of infected bees significantly in both the field and experimental study organizations treated for seven days. It was concluded that poultry IgYs, an innovative and eco-friendly method, had a significant potential for use as an alternative to antifungal medicines. == Intro == Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are recognized as an important part of the global ecosystem and the worlds food supply because of the significant part in pollinating both natural and agricultural flora. In addition, Pidotimod many products from honey bees, particularly honey, pollen, propolis, royal jelly and Pidotimod bee venom are widely used in public health, food and pharmaceutical industries. In recent years, there has been a serious decrease in the honey bee populations all over the world owing to the damage of habitats, rigorous use of pesticides, global weather and diseases [1]. Probably one of the most common infectious diseases influencing honey bees today isNosemadisease, which is definitely caused by two different varieties of unicellular fungal microsporidian parasites,Nosema apisandN.ceranae[2,3]. Although both varieties cause illness in honey bees,N.ceranaehas recently been reported as the most common honey bee pathogen all over the world.N.ceranaehas been associated with decreased honey production, weakness and improved mortality in asymptomatic colonies [4]. In addition, it can cause disruption of carbohydrate and lipid rate of metabolism by disturbing intestinal absorption, switch in foraging behavior, loss of motility, shortening of the life span of honey bees, immunosuppression and colony collapse in the later on phases of the disease [4,5]. Fumagillin, isolated fromAspergillus fumigatus, is the only authorized chemical agent widely used in the treatment ofNosemadisease [6]. Although fumagillin was first used forN.apisinfections with sufficient performance, it has been reported to have limited effect againstN.ceranaethat emerged later on and spread all over the world [7,8]. Fumagillin has been reported to reduce spore load temporarily and did not cause a significant switch in colony size [8]. Long-term use of fumagillin in apiculture prospects to the development of resistance and it also exacerbatesN.ceranaeinfection at low concentrations. Fumagillin shows its effect only during the reproduction period as it interrupts the intracellular replication ofNosemaspecies. However, resistant forms called spores are not affected by this drug and this poses a serious danger for honey bee health [9]. Also, fumagillin might threaten human being health if its residues are found in honey [10,11]. Fumagillin is not available almost everywhere: antibiotics are banned in the EU for beekeeping. So, option treatments are important also for situations in which fumagillin may not be available. Alternate treatment methods such as probiotics and flower components have been reported to be successful in controllingNosemadisease [12,13]. However, the chemical structure of natural products and components is complex and there is a paucity of information about their content. Moreover, the production of these components needs to become highly standardized in order to be utilized for treatment in the field. For these reasons, there is an urgent need to develop option and innovative treatment methods with no side effects for honey bees and no residue in honey in order to preventNosemadisease. In recent years, many studies have been carried out on the use of egg yolk antibodies (IgY) from chickens for the treatment and control of outbreaks in bees. IgY antibodies are the predominant immunoglobulins in laying hens and transferred from serum to the yolk to provide passive immunity. Unlike antibiotics, IgY antibodies are eco-friendly and don’t cause undesired side effects, resistance or harmful residues [1416]. Successful results have been reported in the studies investigating the usability of IgY technology in the treatment and prevention of many infectious diseases in both humans and animals [17,18]. Since antibodies are produced against different antigens of microorganisms, the risk of developing resistance is very low due to the use of polyclonal IgY against diseases [19]. Although there are a limited quantity of studies investigating the effectiveness of IgY against honey bee diseases, no literature data are available about the Pidotimod use Rabbit Polyclonal to Chk1 (phospho-Ser296) of IgY in.