Study of the susceptibility of bacteria Paenibacillus larvae. causative agent of American foulbrood at oxytetracycline antibiotic

American foulbrood is a very serious disease of the honeybee Apis mellifrea worldwide and Algeria. It caused by the bacterium Paenibacillus larvae, The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of AFB in the central region of Algeria (Algiers, Bouira, Blida, Boumerdes, Tizi Ouzou, Tipaza, Medea and Ain Defla) and determine the effectiveness of oxytetracycline against this disease in the laboratory. Microbiological, biochemical and microscopic tests were used to assess the prevalence of this pathogen. The majority of study areas infested by this pathology with an average rate of 47.56% of contamination. We have established the 15 isolates resistance profile vis-a-vis oxytetracycline by the disc diffusion method. The classification of inhibition diameters in decreasing order showed that 8 of 15 samples are resistances. Associated with sanitary prophylaxis, antibiotics may help to reduce the pathological consequences of Paenibacillus larvae. However, it is best to alternate the use of different fa milies of antibiotics to prevent the development of resistance.Keys words : American Foulbrood Disease, Antibiotics-Resistance, Honey Bee, Algeria