Winter honeybee (Apis mellifera) populations show greater potential to induce immune responses than summer populations after immune stimuli [RESEARCH ARTICLE]

In this study, we focus on the response of 10-day-old honeybee workers to immune challenges triggered in vivo by injecting heat-killed bacteria, with particular focus on honeybees that emerge and live under hive conditions. Responses to bacterial injections differed between summer and winter bees. Winter bees exhibited a more intense response, including higher expression of antimicrobial genes and antimicrobial activity, as well as a significant decrease in vitellogenin gene expression and its concentration in the hemolymph. The intense immune response observed in winter honeybees may contribute to our understanding of the relationships between colony fitness and infection with pathogens, as well as its association with successful overwintering.

Source: Journal of Experimental Biology - February 8, 2021 Category: Biology Authors: Dostalkova, S., Dobes, P., Kunc, M., Hurychova, J., Skrabisova, M., Petrivalsky, M., Titera, D., Havlik, J., Hyrsl, P., Danihlik, J. Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research