Functional Properties and Antimicrobial Activity from Lactic Acid Bacteria as Resources to Improve the Health and Welfare of Honey Bees

Abstract

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are agriculturally important pollinators. Over the past decades, significant losses of wild and domestic bees have been reported in many parts of the world. Several biotic and abiotic factors, such as change in land use over time, intensive land management, use of pesticides, climate change, beekeeper’s management practices, lack of forage (nectar and pollen), and infection by parasites and pathogens, negatively affect the honey bee’s well-being and survival. The gut microbiota is important for honey bee growth and development, immune function, protection against pathogen invasion; moreover, a well-balanced microbiota is fundamental to support honey bee health and vigor. In fact, the structure of the bee’s intestinal bacterial community can become an indicator of the honey bee’s health status. Lactic acid bacteria are normal inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tract of many insects, and their presence in the honey bee intestinal tract has been consistently reported in the literature. In the first section of this review, recent scientific advances in the use of LABs as probiotic supplements in the diet of honey bees are summarized and discussed. The second section discusses some of the mechanisms by which LABs carry out their antimicrobial activity against pathogens. Afterward, individual paragraphs are dedicated to Chalkbrood, American foulbrood, European foulbrood, Nosemosis, and Varroosis as well as to the potentiality of LABs for their biological control.

Antimicrobial Activity from Putative Probiotic Lactic Acid Bacteria for the Biological Control of American and European Foulbrood Diseases

“…The ability of probiotics to adhere to the intestinal epithelium is an important prerequisite for biofilm formation in the host intestinal tract. This ability, along with their antimicrobial activity are important features that can hinder the colonization of undesirable microorganisms [ 86 , 104 , 105 ]. The gut adherence ability of probiotic bacteria involves different types of surface properties, including hydrophobicity and auto-aggregation [ 106 , 107 , 108 ].…”

The Haptomonad Stage of Crithidia acanthocephali in Apis mellifera Hindgut

“…However, the establishment and attachment of this trypanosomatid will probably be influenced by other factors. For example, the microbiota present in the honey bee's gut has been proposed as likely to have a protective role against microorganisms [36].…”

Intestinal Microbiota of Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) Treated with Amitraz

“…and medications used in beekeeping, have also been established to affect honey bees' intestinal microbiota, which is of fundamental importance for their growth and development and supports their resistance and vigour (Iorizzo et al, 2022).…”

“…Cuesta-Maté et al (2021) suggest four main areas of human impact responsible for the decline in bee populations: food stress caused by habitat loss and degradation, reduced genetic diversity in honey bees, antibiotics used in beekeeping mainly to control Nosema disease and pesticide use. All of these factors alter the defence mechanisms of the bee immune system, including physical barriers and the general cellular and humoral response, which causes bees to lose their innate ability to resist changes associated with civilization (Iorizzo et al, 2022). These factors, especially pesticides Ż Żzebracka et AL.…”