Background:  Ascosphaera apis is a fungus belonging to the family Ascophaeraceae and affecting honeybee brood. This fungus causes the larval disease chalkbrood of honeybees (Apis mellifera). Larvae get infected by ingesting fungal spores that germinate within the digestive tract and compete with the larvae for food leading to starvation. The fungus consumes the body of the larvae, resulting in a white and “chalky” appearance, hence the designation chalkbrood, and is most visible during wet springs with cooler outside temperatures. The chalky mummies are highly infectious and spores of this fungus often re-infect colonies. Ascosphaera apis causes large economic losses, particularly in combination with other pathogens.

Description:  MycoReal® Kit Ascosphaera apis uses real-time PCR for the qualitative detection of the the ITS1 region of Ascosphaera apis. Our carefully designed primers and probe ensure highest sensitivity and specificity. The kit consists of an assay mix for the detection of the pathogen as well as a positive control and an internal positive control (IPC) system. To minimize PCR cross-contamination, the included reaction mix contains dUTP and uracil-N glycosylase (UNG).

MycoReal® Kit Ascosphaera apis
Order Number Reactions Channel Pathogen Channel IPC Target
DVEF00213 100 FAM Cy5 ITS1 region
DVEF00253 50 FAM Cy5 ITS1 region
For veterinary use only
Shipping Temperature: -20 °C to +4 °C
Product Features:
  • Amplification and detection: ITS1 region of Ascosphaera apis
  • Real-time PCR with rapid hot-start Taq DNA polymerase
  • ROX dye as passive reference
  • Internal Positive Control System to exclude false-negative results
  • Optimized to handle PCR inhibitors
  • PCR- platforms: runs on all established standard real-time PCR- platforms
  • Harmonized thermal profiles to run RNA and DNA samples simultaneously
  • Available formats: Kit (with reaction mix) or Assay-only
  • PCR platforms: MycoReal® Kit Ascosphaera apis was validated with the ABI® 7500 Fast Real-Time PCR System (fast cycle parameters are not supported, Thermo Fisher Scientific), LightCycler® 480 II (Roche Diagnostics) and Mx3005P® (Agilent). It is also compatible with other real-time PCR instruments which detect and differentiate fluorescence in FAM and Cy5 channel (eg. QuantStudio™ 5/6/7 Real-Time PCR System (Thermo Fisher Scientific), qTOWER3G (Analytik Jena), Mic instrument (bio molecular systems), cobas z 480 Analyzer (Roche)).

    Assay: Optional - this product is also available as an assay-only format with primers, probe and a positive control, but without reaction mix.

    MycoReal® Ascosphaera apis
    Order Number Reactions Channel Pathogen Channel IPC Target
    RTGV932 100 FAM Cy5 ITS1 region
    For veterinary use only
    Shipping Temperature: -20 °C to +4 °C
    BactoReal®, MycoReal®, ParoReal® and ViroReal® Kits run with the same thermal cycling conditions.