Effect of oral administration of lactic acid bacteria on colony performance and gut microbiota in indoor-reared bumblebees (Bombus terrestris)

Abstract

-In this study, we investigated if oral administration of lactic acid bacteria could increase the colony performance of reared bumblebees. We found that a continuous administration of Lactobacillus kunkeei LMG 18925 and Lactobacillus crispatus LMG 9479 could partly compensate the effects of low nutritional pollen, but a permanent colonization in the gut was not detected with Illumina MiSeq 16S rRNA sequencing. Contrary to expectations, a single administration of L. kunkeei LMG 18925 to a high nutritional pollen led to a lower total drone mass. A Bombus -specific strain, Bifidobacterium actinocoloniiforme R-53049, showed potential to colonize the gut permanently after three administrations. Our study represents a first screening for the potential use of probiotic strains in bumblebees. We conclude that both diet and host specificity of bacteria might have an effect on colony performance of indoor-reared bumblebees and play a role in the gut colonization success.Bifidobacterium / Lactobacillus / probiotics / Bombus terrestris / colony development / gut microbiota

Novel probiotic approach to counter Paenibacillus larvae infection in honey bees

“…ns = not significant, *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, and ***P < 0.001 asymptomatic carriers. Importantly, no detectable changes in pathogen burden were observed in adult nurse bees from the BioPatty-supplemented group, and larval samples from this group had significantly lower levels of P. larvae on day 12-further substantiating the benefits of infusing pollen patties with lactic acid bacteria [26,[56][57][58].…”

Feeding Honeybee Colonies with Honeybee-Specific Lactic Acid Bacteria (Hbs-LAB) Does Not Affect Colony-Level Hbs-LAB Composition or Paenibacillus larvae Spore Levels, Although American Foulbrood Affected Colonies Harbor a More Diverse Hbs-LAB Community

“…Bacteria in the genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium produce a range of antimicrobial metabolites, such as organic acids, antimicrobial peptides, and bacteriocins [17,[52][53][54]. It is therefore not surprising that their potential for supporting honeybee health, by limiting the virulence and spread of pathogens, has received much attention.…”

Deleterious Interaction Between Honeybees (Apis mellifera) and its Microsporidian Intracellular Parasite Nosema ceranae Was Mitigated by Administrating Either Endogenous or Allochthonous Gut Microbiota Strains

“…Bactocell R was demonstrated to improve the laying performance of hens (Denev et al, 2013), the survival rate, and the growth of the shrimp L. Stylirostris (Castex, 2009). Lactobacillacea strains are used as probiotics formulations in animals (Nikoskelainen et al, 2003;Bovera et al, 2012;Piccolo et al, 2015;Billiet et al, 2017) and in honey bees (Evans and Lopez, 2004). Interestingly, a decrease of Lactobacillaceae sp.…”