Honeybee-Specific Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli
(2017) p.235-241- Abstract
Honeybees are one of our most important insects, not only for their pollination services but also for their production of honey. Honey is the main food for honeybees, produced from collected nectars and transported to the hive. Humans have consumed this mysterious food and applied it since ancient times in traditional medicine around the world. In 2005 we discovered an unknown key to honeybees’ health and to honey production, which was the presence of previously unknown species of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. These bacterial species are constant in all honeybees and present in large amounts in fresh honey originating in all continents. They work synergistically to defend their host against microbial incoming threats introduced by... (More)
Honeybees are one of our most important insects, not only for their pollination services but also for their production of honey. Honey is the main food for honeybees, produced from collected nectars and transported to the hive. Humans have consumed this mysterious food and applied it since ancient times in traditional medicine around the world. In 2005 we discovered an unknown key to honeybees’ health and to honey production, which was the presence of previously unknown species of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. These bacterial species are constant in all honeybees and present in large amounts in fresh honey originating in all continents. They work synergistically to defend their host against microbial incoming threats introduced by nectar foraging and end up in newly produced honey through detaching from the honey stomach. Our research has shown that these beneficial symbiotic bacteria possess antimicrobial characteristics and produce a myriad of bioactive metabolites that protect honeybees against pathogens and explain honeys’ therapeutically significant properties, known by humans since ancient times. Therefore, understanding of the mechanisms of action behind these characteristics through genomic and proteomic studies are crucial in order to find future alternative to antibiotics. In this chapter we discuss the importance of these microbiota in honeybee health and the traditional medicine that is honey with focus on future perspectives.
(Less)
- author
- Olofsson, Tobias LU and Vásquez, Alejandra LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2017-01-01
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- lactobacillus, Antibiotics, Bifidobacterium, Honey, Honeybees, Microbiota, Traditional medicine
- host publication
- The Bifidobacteria and Related Organisms : Biology, Taxonomy, Applications - Biology, Taxonomy, Applications
- editor
- Mattarelli, Paola ; Biavati, Bruno ; Holzapfel, Wilhelm H. and Wood, Brian J.B.
- pages
- 7 pages
- publisher
- Academic Press
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85123654656
- ISBN
- 9780128050606
- DOI
- 10.1016/B978-0-12-805060-6.00014-4
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 4cf2c605-8d7b-40e2-b10f-4e94c67d8789
- date added to LUP
- 2022-04-12 17:20:09
- date last changed
- 2022-04-12 17:23:13
@inbook{4cf2c605-8d7b-40e2-b10f-4e94c67d8789,
abstract = {{<p>Honeybees are one of our most important insects, not only for their pollination services but also for their production of honey. Honey is the main food for honeybees, produced from collected nectars and transported to the hive. Humans have consumed this mysterious food and applied it since ancient times in traditional medicine around the world. In 2005 we discovered an unknown key to honeybees’ health and to honey production, which was the presence of previously unknown species of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. These bacterial species are constant in all honeybees and present in large amounts in fresh honey originating in all continents. They work synergistically to defend their host against microbial incoming threats introduced by nectar foraging and end up in newly produced honey through detaching from the honey stomach. Our research has shown that these beneficial symbiotic bacteria possess antimicrobial characteristics and produce a myriad of bioactive metabolites that protect honeybees against pathogens and explain honeys’ therapeutically significant properties, known by humans since ancient times. Therefore, understanding of the mechanisms of action behind these characteristics through genomic and proteomic studies are crucial in order to find future alternative to antibiotics. In this chapter we discuss the importance of these microbiota in honeybee health and the traditional medicine that is honey with focus on future perspectives.</p>}},
author = {{Olofsson, Tobias and Vásquez, Alejandra}},
booktitle = {{The Bifidobacteria and Related Organisms : Biology, Taxonomy, Applications}},
editor = {{Mattarelli, Paola and Biavati, Bruno and Holzapfel, Wilhelm H. and Wood, Brian J.B.}},
isbn = {{9780128050606}},
keywords = {{lactobacillus; Antibiotics; Bifidobacterium; Honey; Honeybees; Microbiota; Traditional medicine}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{01}},
pages = {{235--241}},
publisher = {{Academic Press}},
title = {{Honeybee-Specific Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-805060-6.00014-4}},
doi = {{10.1016/B978-0-12-805060-6.00014-4}},
year = {{2017}},
}