The Gut Microbiota Protects Bees from Invasion by a Bacterial Pathogen

Steele, Margaret I.; Motta, Erick V. S.; Gattu, Tejashwini; Martínez, Daniel Martínez; Moran, Nancy A.

doi:10.1128/spectrum.00394-21

Cited by 62 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Furthermore, the communities established by native strains resemble natural bee gut communities in composition and in their activation of bee genes related to immunity and development ( figure 3 ). These results are consistent with preliminary trials showing that the administration of natural isolates can restore microbiota disrupted by antibiotics and can defend against infection by opportunistic bacterial pathogens [ 31 , 70 ]. Although promising, establishment does not imply efficacy in promoting host health, and the benefits of native bee gut strains remain untested at the hive level.…”

Section: Future Prospects For Honeybee Probioticssupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Potentially, probiotic treatment with natural gut strains from the native microbiota could replenish perturbed gut communities. Recent experimental studies have shown that bees mono-colonized with single or multiple strains of native gut bacteria can control the overproliferation of S. marcescens in the bee gut [ 11 , 70 ]. Similar overproliferation is observed in microbiota-deprived bees or antibiotic-treated bees [ 70 ].…”

Section: Approaches and Challenges For Probiotic Treatmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prospects for probiotics in social bees

Motta

Powell

Leonard

et al. 2022

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Social corbiculate bees are major pollinators. They have characteristic bacterial microbiomes associated with their hives and their guts. In honeybees and bumblebees, worker guts contain a microbiome composed of distinctive bacterial taxa shown to benefit hosts. These benefits include stimulating immune and metabolic pathways, digesting or detoxifying food, and defending against pathogens and parasites. Stressors including toxins and poor nutrition disrupt the microbiome and increase susceptibility to opportunistic pathogens. Administering probiotic bacterial strains may improve the health of individual bees and of hives, and several commercial probiotics are available for bees. However, evidence for probiotic benefits is lacking or mixed. Most bacterial species used in commercial probiotics are not native to bee guts. We present new experimental results showing that cultured strains of native bee gut bacteria colonize robustly while bacteria in a commercial probiotic do not establish in bee guts. A defined community of native bee gut bacteria resembles unperturbed native gut communities in its activation of genes for immunity and metabolism in worker bees. Although many questions remain unanswered, the development of natural probiotics for honeybees, or for commercially managed bumblebees, is a promising direction for protecting the health of managed bee colonies. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Natural processes influencing pollinator health: from chemistry to landscapes’.

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Section: Future Prospects For Honeybee Probioticssupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Approaches and Challenges For Probiotic Treatmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospects for probiotics in social bees

Motta

Powell

Leonard

et al. 2022

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

Self Cite

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“…It has been shown that honeybees with a conventional microbiome structure have higher survival following challenges with the opportunistic pathogen bacteria ( 11 ). This protection may be due to the physical block of the colonization through killing or suppressing pathogens ( 28 ) or through priming the host immune system by the gut symbionts ( 29 ). Therefore, we first determined if core bee gut members inhibit the invasion of H. alvei in vivo .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to playing important roles in digestion and harvesting energy ( 37 , 38 ), commensal bacteria are important factors determining pathogen infection. Intestinal microbiota can confer protection against intestinal pathogens in three potential ways: (i) through indirect activation of the host immune response ( 39 ); (ii) through direct microbe-microbe competition for nutrients ( 39 , 40 ); or (iii) through antagonism between microbes (e.g., via Type VI secretion system) ( 28 , 41 ). In a first step toward exploring the molecular mechanism underlying the observed protection, we found that strains from Gilliamella and Lactobacillus did not inhibit the growth of H. alvei on the plates (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Specific Strains of Honeybee Gut Lactobacillus Stimulate Host Immune System to Protect against Pathogenic Hafnia alvei

et al. 2022

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“…This species has been reported as a symbiont in some insect groups (Manzano‐Marín & Latorre, 2014), yet it can act as a pathogen in other groups such as bees (Raymann et al, 2018). Its principal functions provide protection against parasites while improving host fitness (Muhammad et al, 2017; Steele et al, 2021).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of cultivable intestinal microbiota in Rhynchophorus palmarum Linnaeus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and determination of its cellulolytic activity

Calumby

Almeida

Barros

et al. 2022

Arch Insect Biochem Physiol

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Rhynchophorus palmarum Linnaeus is an agricultural pest that affects various palm crops, including coconut (Cocos nucifera) plantations which are prominent in the economy of Northeastern Brazil. Characterization of the intestinal microbiota of R. palmarum, as well as elucidation of aspects related to the biochemistry and physiology of the insect's digestion, is essential for intervention in specific metabolic processes as a form of pest control. Thus, this study aimed to characterize the intestinal microbiota of R. palmarum and investigate its ability to degrade cellulosic substrates, to explore new biological control measures. Intestinal dissection of eight adult R. palmarum insects was performed in a laminar flow chamber, and the intestines were homogenized in sterile phosphate‐buffered saline solution. Subsequently, serial dilution aliquots of these solutions were spread on nutritive agar plates for the isolation of bacteria and fungi. The microorganisms were identified by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization with a time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry and evaluated for their ability to degrade cellulose. Fourteen bacterial genera (Acinetobacter, Alcaligenes, Arthrobacter, Bacillus, Citrobacter, Enterococcus, Kerstersia, Lactococcus, Micrococcus, Proteus, Providencia, Pseudomonas, Serratia, and Staphylococcus) and two fungal genera (Candida and Saccharomyces)—assigned to the Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Ascomycota phyla—were identified. The cellulolytic activity was exhibited by six bacterial and one fungal species; of these, Bacillus cereus demonstrated the highest enzyme synthesis (enzymatic index = 4.6). This is the first study characterizing the R. palmarum intestinal microbiota, opening new perspectives for the development of strategies for the biological control of this insect.

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The Gut Microbiota Protects Bees from Invasion by a Bacterial Pathogen

Abstract: Bacteria living within guts of animals can provide protection against infection by pathogens. Some pathogens have been shown to use a molecular weapon known as a T6SS to kill beneficial bacteria during invasion of the mouse gut.

Cited by 62 publications

References 60 publications

Prospects for probiotics in social bees

Prospects for probiotics in social bees

Specific Strains of Honeybee Gut Lactobacillus Stimulate Host Immune System to Protect against Pathogenic Hafnia alvei

Characterization of cultivable intestinal microbiota in Rhynchophorus palmarum Linnaeus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and determination of its cellulolytic activity

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