Detection of antimicrobial substances from larvae of the black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae)

Abstract

Maggots have become highly successful in the treatment of non‐healing wounds and multidrug‐resistant pathogen infections. The main objective of this study was to extract antibacterial substances from larvae of the black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens. To induce immune responses, we septically injured the larvae with a contaminated needle. Lyophilized H. illucens larvae were homogenized and extracted with acidic methanol. We examined the antifungal and antibacterial effects of the low molecular weight antimicrobial factors within the larval extract on the growth of a broad range of microorganisms, including Gram‐positive Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and Gram‐negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Furthermore, we isolated the anti‐MRSA substances from the larval extract using high performance liquid chromatography. These investigations revealed that the larval extract possessed a broad‐spectrum of antibacterial activity, demonstrating that secretions of H. illucens larvae prove useful in the fight against MRSA and can potentially be a source of novel antibiotic‐like compounds for infection control.

Black soldier fly as dietary protein source for broiler quails: apparent digestibility, excreta microbial load, feed choice, performance, carcass and meat traits

“…illucens larvae have a high content of lauric acid (C12:0) which is known for being a natural antimicrobial agent, which act by disrupting cell membrane, being thus effective for the control of various foodborne pathogens (Kim and Rhee, 2016). In addition, larval secretions of H. illucens were reported to be very rich in substances with novel antimicrobial properties (Park et al, 2014), which are mainly attributable to the humoral response of insects' immune system, involving the production of peptides with antimicrobial activity which are secreted in the haemolymph. On the basis of the above-mentioned considerations, a possible positive effect on intestinal microbiota was initially hypothesized which, however, found no confirmation in the results of excreta microbial composition, presumably due to the optimal health status of all quails subjected to the present digestibility trial.…”

Full-fat insect meals as feed additive – the effect on broiler chicken growth performance and gastrointestinal tract microbiota

“…It is well-documented that insects produce AMPs that have broad-spectrum activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Klebsiella pneumoniae, Shigella sonnei, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli, and fungi, viruses and parasites (Park et al, 2014;Yi et al, 2014;Józefiak and Engberg, 2017). Additionally, the chitin content in insect meals could activate the innate immune system because of the fungistatic and immunoadjuvant properties (Dutta et al, 2004).…”

The black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens – a promising source for sustainable production of proteins, lipids and bioactive substances

“…To investigate the antimicrobial effects of H. illucens larval extracts on microbial biofilms, we prepared aqueous larval extracts according to the protocol from Park et al [65]. The protocol from O'Toole was used to test the antimicrobial activity of aqueous larval extracts on E. coli, Micrococcus luteus, Pseudomonas fluorescens and B. subtilis biofilms grown in microtiter plates, respectively [66].…”