Effect of longevity and parasitism on immune and physiological parameters of the honey bee

HYRŠL, Pavel, Pavel DOBEŠ, Martin KUNC, Jana HURYCHOVÁ, Sara ŠREIBR and Jacek MARCINIAK. Effect of longevity and parasitism on immune and physiological parameters of the honey bee. In Zoologické dny 2023. 2023. ISBN 978-80-87189-39-9.

Basic information

• Original name: Effect of longevity and parasitism on immune and physiological parameters of the honey bee
• Name in Czech: Effect of longevity and parasitism on immune and physiological parameters of the honey bee
• Authors: HYRŠL, Pavel (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution), Pavel DOBEŠ (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), Martin KUNC (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), Jana HURYCHOVÁ (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution), Sara ŠREIBR (276 Germany, belonging to the institution) and Jacek MARCINIAK (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution).
• Edition: Zoologické dny 2023, 2023.

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Conference abstract
• Field of Study: 10616 Entomology
• Country of publisher: Czech Republic
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• RIV identification code: RIV/00216224:14310/23:00133963
• Organization unit: Faculty of Science
• ISBN: 978-80-87189-39-9
• Keywords (in Czech): včela medonosná; imunita; zdraví
• Keywords in English: Apis mellifera; immunity; health

Abstract

Recently, honey bees and their conservation are becoming increasingly popular among scientists and the public due to the weakening of bee colonies and resulting collapses with immense ecological and economic impacts. In our laboratory, we have long been dedicated to determining the physiological and immune parameters of the honey bee (Apis mellifera). While studying bee longevity, we determined the physiological and immune differences between short- (summer) and long-living (winter) bee populations. We identified total protein concentration, vitellogenin level and antimicrobial activity as significantly distinct parameters between the two populations. Furthermore, we also observed season-dependent differences in the dynamics of the immune response to bacterial pathogens. It has been clearly shown that the winter population of bees has an immune system set up primarily to use humoral immunity and has a higher capacity for antimicrobial response, while summer bees rely more on cellular immunity. Parasitism by Varroa destructor currently belongs to the most severe problem of bee colonies. During a several-year experiment, we focused on summer and winter populations of worker bees originating from standard-treated bee colonies and from colonies not treated with acaricides, in which we also distinguished parasitized newly emerged bees from those that did not come into contact with mites. Using an omics-based approach, we got a comprehensive view of the changes in parasitised bees, involving their transcriptomic response, changes in protein, and low-molecular-weight metabolites. Results of these analyses combined with previously collected data on seasonal changes in honey bee immunity help us to identify the causes of bees’ deteriorated health and ways to prevent it. Our research is supported by The Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic (QK1910286, QK21010088).

Abstract (in Czech)

Recently, honey bees and their conservation are becoming increasingly popular among scientists and the public due to the weakening of bee colonies and resulting collapses with immense ecological and economic impacts. In our laboratory, we have long been dedicated to determining the physiological and immune parameters of the honey bee (Apis mellifera). While studying bee longevity, we determined the physiological and immune differences between short- (summer) and long-living (winter) bee populations. We identified total protein concentration, vitellogenin level and antimicrobial activity as significantly distinct parameters between the two populations. Furthermore, we also observed season-dependent differences in the dynamics of the immune response to bacterial pathogens. It has been clearly shown that the winter population of bees has an immune system set up primarily to use humoral immunity and has a higher capacity for antimicrobial response, while summer bees rely more on cellular immunity. Parasitism by Varroa destructor currently belongs to the most severe problem of bee colonies. During a several-year experiment, we focused on summer and winter populations of worker bees originating from standard-treated bee colonies and from colonies not treated with acaricides, in which we also distinguished parasitized newly emerged bees from those that did not come into contact with mites. Using an omics-based approach, we got a comprehensive view of the changes in parasitised bees, involving their transcriptomic response, changes in protein, and low-molecular-weight metabolites. Results of these analyses combined with previously collected data on seasonal changes in honey bee immunity help us to identify the causes of bees’ deteriorated health and ways to prevent it. Our research is supported by The Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic (QK1910286, QK21010088).

Links

• QK1910286, research and development project: Name: Efektivní postupy a strategie pro zvládání včelích chorob a udržitelný chov včelstev

Investor: Ministry of Agriculture of the CR

• QK21010088, research and development project: Name: Vývoj prostředku na podporu včelí imunity na bázi probiotik, spolu s technologií jeho výroby a potravinářským využitím vedlejšího produktu

Investor: Ministry of Agriculture of the CR