This paper presents two novel statistical analyses of multiblock data using the R language. It is designed for data organized in (K +1) blocks (i.e., tables) consisting of a block of response variables to be explained by a large number of explanatory variables which are divided into K meaningful blocks. All the variables-explanatory and dependentare measured on the same individuals. Two multiblock methods both useful in practice are included, namely multiblock partial least squares regression and multiblock principal component analysis with instrumental variables. The proposed new methods are included within the ade4 package widely used thanks to its great variety of multivariate methods. These methods are available on the one hand for statisticians and on the other hand for users from various fields in the sense that all the values derived from the multiblock processing are available. Some relevant interpretation tools are also developed. Finally the main results are summarized using overall graphical displays. This paper is organized following the different steps of a standard multiblock process, each corresponding to specific R functions. All these steps are illustrated by the analysis of real epidemiological datasets.

Reports of honey bee population decline has spurred many national efforts to understand the extent of the problem and to identify causative or associated factors. However, our collective understanding of the factors has been hampered by a lack of joined up trans-national effort. Moreover, the impacts of beekeeper knowledge and beekeeping management practices have often been overlooked, despite honey bees being a managed pollinator. Here, we established a standardised active monitoring network for 5 798 apiaries over two consecutive years to quantify honey bee colony mortality across 17 European countries. Our data demonstrate that overwinter losses ranged between 2% and 32%, and that high summer losses were likely to follow high winter losses. Multivariate Poisson regression models revealed that hobbyist beekeepers with small apiaries and little experience in beekeeping had double the winter mortality rate when compared to professional beekeepers. Furthermore, honey bees kept by professional beekeepers never showed signs of disease, unlike apiaries from hobbyist beekeepers that had symptoms of bacterial infection and heavy Varroa infestation. Our data highlight beekeeper background and apicultural practices as major drivers of honey bee colony losses. The benefits of conducting trans-national monitoring schemes and improving beekeeper training are discussed.

A 3-yr field survey was carried out in France, from 2002 to 2005, to study honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colony health in relation to pesticide residues found in the colonies. This study was motivated by recent massive losses of honey bee colonies, and our objective was to examine the possible relationship between low levels of pesticide residues in apicultural matrices (honey, pollen collected by honey bees, beeswax) and colony health as measured by colony mortality and adult and brood population abundance. When all apicultural matrices were pooled together, the number of pesticide residue detected per sampling period (four sampling periods per year) and per apiary ranged from 0 to 9, with the most frequent being two (29.6%). No pesticide residues were detected during 12.7% of the sampling periods. Residues of imidacloprid and 6- chloronicotinic acid were the most frequently detected in pollen loads, honey, and honey bee matrices. Several pairs of active ingredients were present concurrently within honey bees and in pollen loads but not in beeswax and honey samples. No statistical relationship was found between colony mortality and pesticide residues. When pesticide residues from all matrices were pooled together, a mixed model analysis did not show a significant relationship between the presence of pesticide residues and the abundance of brood and adults, and no statistical relationship was found between colony mortality and pesticide residues. Thus, although certain pesticide residues were detected in apicultural matrices and occasionally with another pesticide residual, more work is needed to determine the role these residues play in affecting colony health.

Deoxynivalenol (DON), a mycotoxin produced by some Fusarium species, is a frequent contaminant of cereal. In the present study, 24 weanling piglets received either control feed or feed naturally contaminated with DON (2.8 mg/kg) for four weeks. Consumption of contaminated feed significantly reduced the animal weight gain during the first week of the experiment, but had a moderate effect on cultivable bacteria in the pig intestine. By contrast, changes in the intestinal microflora were observed by Capillary Electrophoresis Single-Stranded Conformation Polymorphism (CE-SSCP) in DONexposed animals, suggesting an impact of this toxin on the dynamics of intestinal bacteria communities.

A PCR assay was developed for the detection of Streptococcus suis serotypes 2 and 1/2. This multiplex PCR is based on the amplification of the gene coding for 16S rRNA of S. suis and on the amplification of the cps2J gene coding for the capsule of S. suis serotypes 2 and 1/2. An internal control was constructed and added in this test to monitor the efficiency of amplification in each reaction. To evaluate the specificity of the test, 31 strains of other bacterial species related to S. suis or isolated from pigs and 42 strains of S. suis serotypes 1 and 3 to 34 were analyzed. The detection threshold of the test was 28 S. suis CFU/ml. The specificity and the sensitivity of the multiplex PCR test and the presence of an internal control allowed the analysis of biological samples without a culture step. The PCR assay was then applied to the detection of 14 S. suis serotype 1/2 strains, 88 S. suis serotype 2 strains isolated from pigs, and 25 S. suis serotype 2 strains isolated from humans. This test was also applied to analyze tonsil samples of pigs experimentally infected and carrier pigs without any symptoms.

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-The first pan-European harmonized active epidemiological surveillance program on honeybee colony mortality (EPILOBEE) was set up across 17 European Member States to estimate honeybee colony mortality over winter and during the beekeeping season. In nine Member States, overwinter losses were higher and statistically different from the empirical level of 10 % under which the level of overwinter mortality was considered as acceptable with usual beekeeping conditions. In four other countries, these losses were lower. Using multivariable Poisson regression models, it was showed that the size of the operation and apiary and the clinically detected varroosis, American foulbrood (AFB), and nosemosis before winter significantly affected 2012-2013 overwinter losses. Clinically detected diseases, the size of the operation and apiary, and the non-participation to a common veterinary treatment significantly affected 2013 summer losses. EPILOBEE was a prerequisite to implement future projects studying risk factors affecting colony health such as multiple and co-exposure to pesticides.honeybee health / EPILOBEE / epidemiological survey / winter mortality / seasonal mortality INTRODUCTIONNumerous hazards threaten honeybee populations (Apis mellifera ) worldwide. Many publications that looked into colony losses from any part of the world reported that several biological and environmental factors acting alone or in combination have the potential to cause premature colony mortality (Genersch et al. 2010;Potts et al. 2010; Spleen et al. 2013). In the USA and Canada, alarming losses of honeybee colonies were recently reported (Steinhauer et al. 2014). In Europe, the decrease in honeybee colonies was estimated at Corresponding author: M. Chauzat, marie-

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