Eva Forsgren

I am part of the Honeybee Research Group at SLU internationally renowned for its work on honeybee pathology, especially microsporidia (Nosema), bacterial diseases (American and European foulbrood), parasitic mites (Varroa) and viruses. Currently our group focuses on the interactions between different parasites, pathogens and pesticides and the role of honeybee specific lactic acid bacteria in relation to individual bee and colony health.

Teaching and contact with students is an important link between SLU and the surrounding society. I have been responsible for, and now teach, in an annual recurring course at the undergraduate level, "Bees, beekeeping and pollination" which is much appreciated by both Swedish and international students.

My research interests are particularly the epidemiology and transmission of the bacterium Paenibacillus larvae, causing American foulbrood disease in honeybee larvae, and Melissococcus plutonius, the causative agent of European foulbrood.

Another significant part of my work includes the development and validation of new methods for the detection of various microorganisms in the honeybee colony.

        Grossar D, Kilchenmann V,  Forsgren E, Charrière J-D, Gauthier L, Chapuisat M, Dietemann V (2020). Putative determinants of virulence in Melissococcus plutonius, the bacterial agent causing European foulbrood in honeybees. Virulence 11:1, 554-567. https://doi.org/10.1080/21505594.2020.1768338

        Stephan JG, de Miranda JR, Forsgren E (2020). American foulbrood within a honeybee colony: spore-symptom relationship and feedbacks between disease and colony development. BMC Ecology 20:15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12898-020-00283-w

        Lamei S, Stephan JG, Nilson B, Siewerts S, Riesbeck K, de Miranda JR, Forsgren E (2020). Feeding honeybee colonies with honeybee specific lactic acid bacteria (hbs-LAB) does not affect colony-level hbs-LAB composition or Paenibacillus larvae spore levels, although American foulbrood affected colonies harbor a more diverse hbs-LAB community. Microbial Ecology 79, 743–755. DOI: 10.1007/s00248-019-01434-3

        Stephan JG, Lamei S, Pettis JS, Riesbeck K, de Miranda JR, Forsgren E (2019). Honeybee-specific lactic acid bacterial supplements have no effect on American foulbrood infected honeybee colonies. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 85 (13). DOI: 10.1128/AEM.00606-19

        Locke B, Low M, Forsgren E (2019). An integrated management strategy to prevent outbreaks and eliminate infection pressure of American foulbrood disease in a commercial beekeeping operation. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 67, 48-52. DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2019.03.023

        Osterman J, Wintermantel D, Locke B, Jonsson O, Semberg E, Onorati P, Forsgren E, Rosenkranz P, Rahbek-Pedersen T, Bommarco R, Smith H G, Rundlöf M, de Miranda J R (2019). Clothianidin seed-treatment has no detectable negative impact on honeybee colonies and their pathogens. Nature Communications 10. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08523-4

        Wintermantel D, Locke B, Andersson G, Semberg E, Forsgren E, Osterman J, Pedersen T, Bommarco R, Smith H G, Rundlöf M, de Miranda J R (2018). Field-level clothianidin exposure affects bumblebees but generally not their pathogens. Nature Communications 9 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07914-3

        Ågren J, Schäfer MO, Forsgren E (2017). Using whole genome sequencing for epidemiological studies of American foulbrood in honey bees. PLoS ONE 12 (11): e0187924. https://doi.org/ 10.1371/journal.pone.0187924

        Vásquez A, Forsgren E, Fries I, Flaberg E, Szekely L, Paxton R J, Olofsson T C (2012).  Symbionts as major modulators of insect health: lactic acid bacteria and honeybees. PLoS ONE 7 (3): e33188. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0033188

        Genersch E, Forsgren E, Pentikäinen J, Ashiralieva A, Rauch S, Kilwinski J, Fries I (2006). Reclassification of Paenibacillus larvae subsp. pulvifaciens and Paenibacillus larvae subsp. larvae as Paenibacillus larvae without subspecies differentiation. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology 56, 501-511. DOI:10.1099/ijs.0.63928-0