Study of the host-pathogen interaction of the brood disease American foulbrood of the honeybee: virulence of Paenibacillus larvae and immunity of the honeybee larvae.

In this study we want to gain insights into the molecular basis of virulence of the honeybee pathogen Paenibacillus larvae and into the immune defense of its host, the honeybee larvae. The intimate relationship between the invertebrate host and its pathogen will be unraveled using a combinatorial approach of different genomic and microbiology tools.