A scientific note on the first report of honeybee venom
inhibiting Paenibacillus larvae growth
November 2014, Volume 45, Issue 6, pp 719-721
In the eusocial honeybee, Apis mellifera, worker bees use a
stinging apparatus for defense. The sting is supplied with venom by glands
localized in the abdomen. Honeybee venom (BV) is composed of at least 18
bioactive molecules, ranging from biogenic amines to proteins whose structure
and function have been largely determined. These include peptides such as
melittin, apamin, adolapin, and mast cell degranulating peptide; biologically
active amines; enzymes as phospholipase A2 (PLA2); and a few nonpeptide
components (Peiren et al. 2005; Matysiak et al. 2011). Melittin and PLA2 are
the most abundant proteins, representing 50 and 12 % of BV dry weight,
respectively.
Furthermore, the venom gland has been recently reported as
an important source of antimicrobial substances with proven antibacterial and
antifungal action (Yu et al. 2012; Han et al. 2013). Nevertheless, data about
the effects of BV on infectious pathogens of honeybees are previously absent
from the literature…
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