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Fernandes KE, Stanfield B, Frost EA, Shanahan ER, Susantio D, Dong AZ, Tran TD, Cokcetin NN, Carter DA. Low Levels of Hive Stress Are Associated with Decreased Honey Activity and Changes to the Gut Microbiome of Resident Honey Bees. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0074223. [PMID: 37289060 PMCID: PMC10434159 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00742-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Honey bees (Apis mellifera) face increasing threats to their health, particularly from the degradation of floral resources and chronic pesticide exposure. The properties of honey and the bee gut microbiome are known to both affect and be affected by bee health. Using samples from healthy hives and hives showing signs of stress from a single apiary with access to the same floral resources, we profiled the antimicrobial activity and chemical properties of honey and determined the bacterial and fungal microbiome of the bee gut and the hive environment. We found honey from healthy hives was significantly more active than honey from stressed hives, with increased phenolics and antioxidant content linked to higher antimicrobial activity. The bacterial microbiome was more diverse in stressed hives, suggesting they may have less capacity to exclude potential pathogens. Finally, bees from healthy and stressed hives had significant differences in core and opportunistically pathogenic taxa in gut samples. Our results emphasize the need for understanding and proactively managing bee health. IMPORTANCE Honey bees serve as pollinators for many plants and crops worldwide and produce valuable hive products such as honey and wax. Various sources of stress can disrupt honey bee colonies, affecting their health and productivity. Growing evidence suggests that honey is vitally important to hive functioning and overall health. In this study, we determined the antimicrobial activity and chemical properties of honey from healthy hives and hives showing signs of stress, finding that honey from healthy hives was significantly more antimicrobial, with increased phenolics and antioxidant content. We next profiled the bacterial and fungal microbiome of the bee gut and the hive environment, finding significant differences between healthy and stressed hives. Our results underscore the need for greater understanding in this area, as we found even apparently minor stress can have implications for overall hive fitness as well as the economic potential of hive products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenya E Fernandes
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Bridie Stanfield
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Elizabeth A Frost
- ABGU, A Joint Venture of NSW Department of Primary Industries and University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Paterson, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Erin R Shanahan
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Daniel Susantio
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Andrew Z Dong
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Trong D Tran
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia
| | - Nural N Cokcetin
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Australian Institute for Microbiology and Infection, University of Technology, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Dee A Carter
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Dong AZ, Cokcetin N, Carter DA, Fernandes KE. Unique antimicrobial activity in honey from the Australian honeypot ant ( Camponotus inflatus). PeerJ 2023; 11:e15645. [PMID: 37520253 PMCID: PMC10386826 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Honey produced by the Australian honeypot ant (Camponotus inflatus) is valued nutritionally and medicinally by Indigenous peoples, but its antimicrobial activity has never been formally studied. Here, we determine the activity of honeypot ant honey (HPAH) against a panel of bacterial and fungal pathogens, investigate its chemical properties, and profile the bacterial and fungal microbiome of the honeypot ant for the first time. We found HPAH to have strong total activity against Staphylococcus aureus but not against other bacteria, and strong non-peroxide activity against Cryptococcus and Aspergillus sp. When compared with therapeutic-grade jarrah and manuka honey produced by honey bees, we found HPAH to have a markedly different antimicrobial activity and chemical properties, suggesting HPAH has a unique mode of antimicrobial action. We found the bacterial microbiome of honeypot ants to be dominated by the known endosymbiont genus Candidatus Blochmannia (99.75%), and the fungal microbiome to be dominated by the plant-associated genus Neocelosporium (92.77%). This study demonstrates that HPAH has unique antimicrobial characteristics that validate its therapeutic use by Indigenous peoples and may provide a lead for the discovery of novel antimicrobial compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Z. Dong
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Nural Cokcetin
- Australian Institute for Microbiology and Infection, University of Technology, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Dee A. Carter
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
- Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Kenya E. Fernandes
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
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