OneHealth implications of infectious diseases of wild and managed bees

The OneHealth approach aims to further our understanding of the drivers of human, animal and environmental health, and, ultimately, to improve them by combining approaches and knowledge from medicine, biology and fields beyond. Wild and managed bees are essential pollinators of crops and wild flowers. Their health thus directly impacts on human and environmental health. At the same time, these bee species represent highly amenable and relevant model organisms for a OneHealth approach that aims to study fundamental epidemiological questions. In this review, we focus on how infectious diseases of wild and managed bees can be used as a OneHealth model system, informing fundamental questions on ecological immunology and disease transmission, while addressing how this knowledge can be used to tackle the issues facing pollinator health.

Automated summary

The OneHealth approach aims to improve understanding of human, animal, and environmental health by combining knowledge and approaches from various fields. This review focuses on using infectious diseases of wild and managed bees as a model system to study ecological immunology and disease transmission, and how this knowledge can be applied to address pollinator health issues.