A Comparative Study of Healthy and American Foulbrood-Infected Bee Brood (Apis mellifera L.) through the Investigation of Volatile Compounds

American Foulbrood (AFB) is a major endemic disease affecting the bee brood and absence of chemical therapeutic treatments leads beekeepers to develop alternative management plans, based mainly on prevention accurate diagnosis symptoms. One main symptoms unpleasant odor caused by rot dead larvae. In present comparative study, we analyzed profile larvae presence characteristic volatile compounds (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectometry), in an effort discriminate healthy AFB-infected brood. A greater number was identified affected than healthy. The (?)-?-ocimene prominent samples percentages from 85.25 99.14%, compound also detected all infected but lower (37%). toluene, xylene, 1,3-dimethylbenzene, 2-nonanone, dimethyl disulfide, trisulfide were 100% diseased samples, with latter three being absent brood, while 2-undecanone found some (40.0%). Further investigation markers may contribute significantly successful disease, aiming at its rapid treatment.