Stingless bees and microbial interactions

Paula, Gabriela Toninato de; Menezes, Cristiano; Pupo, Mônica Tallarico; Rosa, Carlos A.

doi:10.1016/j.cois.2020.11.006

Cited by 67 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Plant resins are rich source of flavonoids and are well-known for their potent antimicrobial properties [49]. Unlike A. mellifera that preserves honey by a dehydration technique while being stored in the honeycomb, the stingless bee (e.g., T. biroi) relies on intense fermentation by symbiont microbes and by aging inside the cerumen pot to preserve the honey [50]. While aging, the aromas from the cerumen are incorporated into honey, giving its intense aroma compared to A. mellifera honey.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While aging, the aromas from the cerumen are incorporated into honey, giving its intense aroma compared to A. mellifera honey. It has been reported that cerumen extracts have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties [49,51,52] and it is possible that the antibiotics and antioxidants from the cerumen are integrated in the honey during aging process [50]. Report showed that a total of 100 compounds have been identified from stingless bee propolis from 2000 to 2019 by groups in Brazil, South Asia and Australia [48].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Isorhamnetin-Containing Fraction of Philippine Honey Produced by the Stingless Bee Tetragonula biroi Is an Antibiotic against Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Suarez

Tirador

Villorente³

et al. 2021

Molecules

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Honey exhibits antibacterial and antioxidant activities that are ascribed to its diverse secondary metabolites. In the Philippines, the antibacterial and antioxidant activities, as well as the bioactive metabolite contents of the honey, have not been thoroughly described. In this report, we investigated the in vitro antibacterial and antioxidant activities of honey from Apis mellifera and Tetragonula biroi, identified the compound responsible for the antibacterial activity, and compared the observed bioactivities and metabolite profiles to that of Manuka honey, which is recognized for its antibacterial and antioxidant properties. The secondary metabolite contents of honey were extracted using a nonionic polymeric resin followed by antibacterial and antioxidant assays, and then spectroscopic analyses of the phenolic and flavonoid contents. Results showed that honey extracts produced by T. biroi exhibits antibiotic activity against Staphylococcal pathogens as well as high antioxidant activity, which are correlated to its high flavonoid and phenolic content as compared to honey produced by A. mellifera. The bioassay-guided fractionation paired with Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (LCMS) and tandem MS analyses found the presence of the flavonoid isorhamnetin (3-methylquercetin) in T. biroi honey extract, which was demonstrated as one of the compounds with inhibitory activity against multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ATCC BAA-44. Our findings suggest that Philippine honey produced by T. biroi is a potential nutraceutical that possesses antibiotic and antioxidant activities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Isorhamnetin-Containing Fraction of Philippine Honey Produced by the Stingless Bee Tetragonula biroi Is an Antibiotic against Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Suarez

Tirador

Villorente³

et al. 2021

Molecules

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…and Acetobacter sp . dominate [ 33 , 46 ], which suggests that the microbiome varies in relation to the various components of the nest. No classical pathogenic bacteria were found for bees, such as Paenibacillus larvae and Lysinibacillus sphaericus , however, a large number of coliforms were also found, including Acinetobacter baumanii , Escherichia coli , Alcaligenes faecalis and Enterobacter cloacae , revealing risk of contamination of honey and other products for human consumption.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bacterial communities of indoor surface of stingless bee nests

Sousa

2021

PLoS ONE

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Microbes have been identified as fundamental for the good health of bees, acting as pathogens, protective agent against infection/inorganic toxic compounds, degradation of recalcitrant secondary plant metabolites, definition of social group membership, carbohydrate metabolism, honey and bee pollen production. However, study of microbiota associated with bees have been largely confined to the honeybees and solitary bees. Here, I characterized the microbiota of indoor surface nest of four brazilian stingless bee species (Apidae: Meliponini) with different construction behaviors and populations. Bees that use predominantly plant material to build the nest (Frieseomelitta varia and Tetragonisca angustula) have a microbiome dominated by bacteria found in the phylloplane and flowers such as Pseudomonas sp. and Sphingomonas sp. Species that use mud and feces (Trigona spinipes) possess a microbiome dominated by coliforms such as Escherichia coli and Alcaligenes faecalis. Melipona quadrifasciata, which uses both mud / feces and plant resin, showed a hybrid microbiome with microbes found in soil, feces and plant material. These findings indicate that indoor surface microbiome varies widely among bees and reflects the materials used in the construction of the nests.

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“…The dominant fungal phyla observed, Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, usually fulfil a decomposing role in most land-based ecosystems, by breaking down organic materials such as large molecules of cellulose or lignin, and in doing so play important roles in carbon and nitrogen cycling (Dighton, 2016). It is logical then, to assume that these gut colonisers can assist the animal host with food digestion (de Paula et al, 2021). We identified six core fungal taxa in T. carbonaria and A. australis.…”

Section: Fungal Communities 20mentioning

confidence: 99%

Gut microbial diversity in stingless bees is linked to host wing size and is influenced by geography

Liu

Hall

Brettell

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Stingless bees are globally important social corbiculate bees, fulfilling critical pollination roles in many ecosystems; however, their gut microbiota, especially fungal communities, are not well characterized to date. We collected 121 bee samples from two species, Tetragonula carbonaria and Austroplebeia australis, across a distance of 1,200 km of eastern Australia, and analysed their gut microbiomes. We found that the gut bacterial richness of T. carbonaria was influenced by geography (latitude and longitude) and positively correlated to an established fitness indicator in insects; namely, host forewing length/size that relates to flight capacity of stingless bees. We characterized the core microbiomes of the two bees and found that they consisted of the bacterial taxa Snodgrassella, Lactobacillus, Acetobacteraceae and Bombella, and the fungal taxa Didymellaceae, Monocilium mucidum, Malassezia restricta and Aureobasidium pullulans. Both host species identity and management (wild or managed) significantly influenced the gut microbial diversity and composition, and similarity between colonies declined as the geographical distance between them increased. This result was also supported by our co-existing network analyses. Overall, we have thoroughly analysed stingless bee gut microbiomes, and provided novel evidence that T. carbonaria bees with larger wings or from more southern populations have higher microbial diversity in their guts.

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Stingless bees and microbial interactions

Cited by 67 publications

References 41 publications

The Isorhamnetin-Containing Fraction of Philippine Honey Produced by the Stingless Bee Tetragonula biroi Is an Antibiotic against Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

The Isorhamnetin-Containing Fraction of Philippine Honey Produced by the Stingless Bee Tetragonula biroi Is an Antibiotic against Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Bacterial communities of indoor surface of stingless bee nests

Gut microbial diversity in stingless bees is linked to host wing size and is influenced by geography

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