Higher Variability in Fungi Compared to Bacteria in the Foraging Honey Bee Gut

Decker, Leslie E.; Juan, Priscilla A San; Warren, Magdalena L; Duckworth, Cory E; Gao, Cheng; Fukami, Tadashi

doi:10.1007/s00248-021-01922-5

Cited by 13 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…However, the variability in the presence of L. thermotolerans in the midgut is consistent with the earliest research into yeasts associated with bees (reviewed in reference 17 ) as well as more recent research ( 23 ). Decker et al suggested that the fungal community in bees is not stable and pointed to the foraging location as a key determinant of the fungal species composition of the digestive tract ( 23 ). L. thermotolerans and yeasts of the Metschnikowia genus were the species most commonly detected in the bees assayed here.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Colonization of Honey Bee Digestive Tracts by Environmental Yeast Lachancea thermotolerans Is Naturally Occurring, Temperature Dependent, and Impacts the Microbiome of Newly Emerged Bees

et al. 2023

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Colonization of Honey Bee Digestive Tracts by Environmental Yeast Lachancea thermotolerans Is Naturally Occurring, Temperature Dependent, and Impacts the Microbiome of Newly Emerged Bees

et al. 2023

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“…This represents even fewer bacterial members than the known simple core microbiome of worker bees, comprising five phylotypes with multiple species (35, 36). Additionally, no fungi were detected in our queen samples, which is in contrast to previously published amplicon sequencing-based investigations with queens and worker bees (17, 37, 38, 39). Importantly, this difference could be due to the fact that amplicon sequencing will detect extremely low abundance templates resulting from the honey bee diet.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 94%

Metagenomic analysis of the honey bee queen microbiome reveals low bacterial diversity and Caudoviricetes phages

Caesar,

Rice,

McAfee

et al. 2023

Preprint

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In eusocial insects, the health of the queens – the colony founders and sole reproductive females – is a primary determinant for colony success. Queen failure in the honey bee Apis mellifera, for example, is a major concern of beekeepers that annually suffer colony losses, necessitating a greater knowledge of queen health. Several studies on the microbiome of honey bees have characterized its diversity and shown its importance for the health of worker bees, the female non-reproductive caste. However, the microbiome of workers differs from that of queens, which in comparison is still poorly studied. Thus, direct investigations of the queen microbiome are required to understand colony-level microbiome assembly, functional roles, and evolution. Here we used metagenomics to comprehensively characterize the honey bee queen microbiome. Comparing samples from different geographic locations and breeder sources, we show that the microbiome of queens is mostly shaped by the environment experienced since early life, and is predicted to play roles in breakdown of the diet, and protection from pathogens and xenobiotics. We also reveal the microbiome of queens comprises only four core bacterial species, Apilactobacillus kunkeei, Lactobacillus apis, Bombella apis and Commensalibacter sp. Interestingly, in addition to bacteria, we show that bacteriophages infect the queen microbiome, for which Lactobacillaceae are predicted to be the main reservoirs. Together, our results provide the basis to understand the honey bee colony microbiome assemblage, can guide improvements in queen rearing processes, and highlight the importance of bacteriophages for queen microbiome health and microbiome homeostasis in eusocial insects.

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“…Several methods are under consideration in view of improving the capacity by honey bees to contrast these noxious biotic agents, including the administration of probiotics based on microbial consortia ( Borges et al, 2021 ), or single strains of bacteria and fungi, such as Aureobasidium melanogenum ( Hsu et al, 2021 ). Although beneficial fungi may be transient passengers and less important than bacteria as gut symbionts ( Decker et al, 2022 ), they can inhibit growth of other species ( Gilliam et al, 1988 ) and mediate detoxification ( Bush et al, 2018 ), thus enhancing a general honey bee resistance towards pathogens ( Yoder et al, 2017 ).…”

Section: Bee Defensesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aspergillus-bees: A dynamic symbiotic association

Becchimanzi

Nicoletti

2022

Front. Microbiol.

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Besides representing one of the most relevant threats of fungal origin to human and animal health, the genus Aspergillus includes opportunistic pathogens which may infect bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) in all developmental stages. At least 30 different species of Aspergillus have been isolated from managed and wild bees. Some efficient behavioral responses (e.g., diseased brood removal) exerted by bees negatively affect the chance to diagnose the pathology, and may contribute to the underestimation of aspergillosis importance in beekeeping. On the other hand, bee immune responses may be affected by biotic and abiotic stresses and suffer from the loose co-evolutionary relationships with Aspergillus pathogenic strains. However, if not pathogenic, these hive mycobiota components can prove to be beneficial to bees, by affecting the interaction with other pathogens and parasites and by detoxifying xenobiotics. The pathogenic aptitude of Aspergillus spp. likely derives from the combined action of toxins and hydrolytic enzymes, whose effects on bees have been largely overlooked until recently. Variation in the production of these virulence factors has been observed among strains, even belonging to the same species. Toxigenic and non-toxigenic strains/species may co-exist in a homeostatic equilibrium which is susceptible to be perturbed by several external factors, leading to mutualistic/antagonistic switch in the relationships between Aspergillus and bees.

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Higher Variability in Fungi Compared to Bacteria in the Foraging Honey Bee Gut

Cited by 13 publications

References 24 publications

Colonization of Honey Bee Digestive Tracts by Environmental Yeast Lachancea thermotolerans Is Naturally Occurring, Temperature Dependent, and Impacts the Microbiome of Newly Emerged Bees

Colonization of Honey Bee Digestive Tracts by Environmental Yeast Lachancea thermotolerans Is Naturally Occurring, Temperature Dependent, and Impacts the Microbiome of Newly Emerged Bees

Metagenomic analysis of the honey bee queen microbiome reveals low bacterial diversity and Caudoviricetes phages

Aspergillus-bees: A dynamic symbiotic association

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