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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Tucson, Arizona » Carl Hayden Bee Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #339321
Title: Honey bee gut dysbiosis: A novel context for disease ecology

Author
item Anderson, Kirk
item Ricigliano, Vincent

Submitted to: Current Opinion in Insect Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/8/2017
Publication Date: 6/27/2017
Citation: Anderson, K.E., Ricigliano, V.A. 2017. Honey bee gut dysbiosis: a novel context for disease ecology. Current Opinion in Insect Science. doi: 10.1016/j.cois.2017.05.020.

Interpretive Summary: A bacterial community the gut of the honey bee has become a hot-spot of recent research. Highly host adapted, hindgut biofilm structure consists of six species that alter in relative abundance over the life of the adult worker, showing parallels with age-related senescence in Drosophila. Induced shifts among the core gut species are associated with host deficiencies, and a variety of bacteria found throughout the hive environment can dominate the worker gut altering or displacing bacterial community function. The synthesis presented here suggests environmental insults alter community integrity, leading to decreased host protection and disease progression. Specific functional groups of native bacteria represent a model system to investigate dysbiosis and the evolution of host tolerance / resistance traits in host-microbe interactions.

Technical Abstract: A biofilm in the ileum of the honey bee has become a hot-spot of recent research. Highly host co-evolved, hindgut biofilm structure consists of six species that alter in relative abundance over the life of the adult worker, showing parallels with age-related senescence in Drosophila. Induced shifts among the core gut species are associated with host deficiencies, and a variety of bacteria found throughout the hive environment can dominate the worker gut altering or displacing biofilm function. The synthesis presented here suggests environmental insults alter biofilm integrity, leading to decreased host protection and disease progression. Specific functional groups of native bacteria represent a model system to investigate dysbiosis and the evolution of host tolerance / resistance traits in host-microbe interactions.