Naheed Mojgani
Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Iran
Title: Synergistic antibacterial effect of probiotic lactic acid bacteria isolated from honey bees and propolis extracts on American and European foulbrood disease
Biography
Biography: Naheed Mojgani
Abstract
P larvae subsp. larvae, the agent of American foulbrood and Melissococcus plutonius, the agent of European foulbrood in honeybees are leading factors afflicting honey bee health and causing huge colony losses. To control this diseases antibiotics are used, which pose risks not only to honey bee health but is also a threat to humans. A number of biological controls methods are investigated in this regard for the control and prevention of these diseases. In this respect, probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are highly investigated. Propolis, a non-toxic wax like resinous substance found is bee hives is reported to be highly antibacterial and eco-friendly. In this study, we aimed to determine the synergistic antibacterial effect of probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from honey bee (Apis mellifera) intestinal specimens, and different concentrations of ethanolic extracts of Propolis, against Paenibacillus larvae and Melissococcus plutonius. Initially, a number of LAB were isolated from honey bees by culturing the intestinal specimens on MRS and M17 media under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The isolates were identified by biochemical and 16SrRNA sequencing. Four different concentrations of propolis collected from beehives of Alborz, Kurdistan and Tehran province, and the identified LAB isolates were tested for their antibacterial spectrum against Paenibacillus larvae and Melissococcus plutonius. Chlorhexidine (0.2%) and sterile saline were used as positive and negative control, respectively. The survival and growth of the L. casei TA0053, L. lactis NM00126, P. acidilactici TA0300 and E. faecium TA0312 (108 CFU/ml) in the presence of different propolis concentrations at different time intervals were investigated and their MIC determined. Synergistic effect of propolis and LAB bacterial strain against different cell concentrations of Paenibacillus larvae and Melissococcus plutonius was evaluated and their MIC recorded.