American foulbrood detected in bee farm in Gulbene region

The official journal Latvijas Vēstnesis has published an order from Latvia's chief food and veterinary inspector confirming the detection of American foulbrood in a bee-keeping operation in Ranka Parish, Gulbene Municipality. The affected farm is named "Kalnieši".

Because of the outbreak, an area within a three-kilometre radius of the affected apiary has been declared a threatened territory. The senior veterinary inspector of the Food and Veterinary Service's (PVD) Austrumvidzeme administration has been tasked with carrying out clinical assessments of bee colonies in permanent apiaries located in the restricted zone. The inspector will also take samples of suspicious material for laboratory testing and conduct an epidemiological investigation to identify potentially infected and epidemiologically linked apiaries, as well as to determine the likely routes of pathogen spread and possible contaminated objects.

Owners of bee colonies must follow their obligations and cooperate with PVD inspectors performing surveillance activities in the affected area. American foulbrood is caused by the bacterium Paenibacillus larvae. The disease is not dangerous to humans, but it can be lethal to bees if timely control measures are not implemented. It also poses a serious economic threat to beekeepers because it significantly reduces production output. PVD is a state institution under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture, responsible for overseeing the food chain and veterinary medicine.