The promise of probiotics in honeybee health and disease management

Bee-Associated Beneficial Microbes—Importance for Bees and for Humans

“…Studies based on 16S rRNA sequences and metagenomic research on adult A. mellifera , regardless of their geographic origin, life stage, or season turnover, indicate that the main host-adapted bacterial phyla present in their gut microbiota comprise Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes, with lower frequencies of phyla such as Cyanobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, Spirochaetes, and Planctomycetes [ 18 , 19 ]. Although there are short-term shifts in the microbial taxa present in A. mellifera , it has been described that the adult honeybee’s microbiota is dominated (up to 99.9%) by 9–10 bee-associated bacterial clusters, each representing a complex of related strains that are transmitted through social interactions between individuals, with five species’ clusters forming the main core of the bee gut community, albeit with different relative abundances differing among studies [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. Principle reported ubiquitous Gram-negative species were Snodgrassella alvi (phylum Pseudomonadota) and Gilliamella apicola (phylum Proteobacteria), while ubiquitous and abundant Gram-positive species were represented by two species clusters, namely, Lactobacillus mellifer / mellis clade (formerly Firm-4 clade) and Lactobacillus melliventris clade (formerly Firm-5 clade), both from Firmicutes phylum, with Bifidobacterium asteroides -related species cluster (phylum Actinobacteria) also being present in most adult bees [ 20 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ].…”

“…Although there are short-term shifts in the microbial taxa present in A. mellifera , it has been described that the adult honeybee’s microbiota is dominated (up to 99.9%) by 9–10 bee-associated bacterial clusters, each representing a complex of related strains that are transmitted through social interactions between individuals, with five species’ clusters forming the main core of the bee gut community, albeit with different relative abundances differing among studies [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. Principle reported ubiquitous Gram-negative species were Snodgrassella alvi (phylum Pseudomonadota) and Gilliamella apicola (phylum Proteobacteria), while ubiquitous and abundant Gram-positive species were represented by two species clusters, namely, Lactobacillus mellifer / mellis clade (formerly Firm-4 clade) and Lactobacillus melliventris clade (formerly Firm-5 clade), both from Firmicutes phylum, with Bifidobacterium asteroides -related species cluster (phylum Actinobacteria) also being present in most adult bees [ 20 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. Additional phylotypes that are less consistent across colonies (non-core) and are not necessarily present in every individual include the Frischella , Bartonella , Commensalibacter , Bombella , Fructobacillus and Apibacter species [ 6 , 22 , 23 , 26 , 27 ].…”

“…Principle reported ubiquitous Gram-negative species were Snodgrassella alvi (phylum Pseudomonadota) and Gilliamella apicola (phylum Proteobacteria), while ubiquitous and abundant Gram-positive species were represented by two species clusters, namely, Lactobacillus mellifer / mellis clade (formerly Firm-4 clade) and Lactobacillus melliventris clade (formerly Firm-5 clade), both from Firmicutes phylum, with Bifidobacterium asteroides -related species cluster (phylum Actinobacteria) also being present in most adult bees [ 20 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. Additional phylotypes that are less consistent across colonies (non-core) and are not necessarily present in every individual include the Frischella , Bartonella , Commensalibacter , Bombella , Fructobacillus and Apibacter species [ 6 , 22 , 23 , 26 , 27 ]. It is also worth mentioning Apilactobacillus kunkeei (previously referred to as Lactobacillus kunkeei ), a non-core colonizer species that accounts for a relatively small proportion of the honeybee gut microbiota, although it is quite common in the floriferous environment and in bees’ inputs [ 6 , 21 , 23 , 25 ].…”

The Response of the Honey Bee Gut Microbiota to Nosema ceranae Is Modulated by the Probiotic Pediococcus acidilactici and the Neonicotinoid Thiamethoxam

“…The use of endogenous and exogenous bacterial strains as potential probiotics has been suggested as a strategy to enhance honey bee health by mitigating the detrimental effects on the gut microbiota of various pathogens, including N. ceranae [ 28 , 29 ], although their mode of action remains to be determined. A higher survival, a decrease in N. ceranae proliferation, and an increase in honey bee population in colonies were reported when supplementing with Protexin ® (ADM Protexin Ltd., Somerset, UK), a formulation based on Enterococcus faecium [ 30 , 31 ].…”

Eucommia Polysaccharides Ameliorate Aging-Associated Gut Dysbiosis: A Potential Mechanism for Life Extension in Drosophila

“…Particularly vulnerable are tissues of the gastrointestinal epithelial barrier, as it is in constant exposure to environmental insults and therefore undergoes rapid cellular turnover to maintain barrier integrity [ 3 ]. The gut microbiota affects host health and play key roles in the development and homeostasis of the host immune system and gut epithelial barrier [ 4 ]. Compared with primates and rodents, Drosophila contain only a few numbers of bacteria species in the gut lumen (fewer than 30 species), with Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes , and Proteobacteria as the predominant phyla [ 5 ].…”