S. alvi is a bacteria and part of every bee's microbiome named after Snodgrass (Snodgrassella alvi) that these virologists modified and used to both fight DWV and kill varroa. This would be science fiction a few years back but is now a promising advance in using RNAi stimulated by a common gut bacteria modified to produce an antigen that the bees immune system responds to.  


> Here, we report a new approach for manipulating bee gene expression and protecting bee health. We engineered a symbiotic bee gut bacterium, Snodgrassella alvi, to induce eukaryotic RNA interference (RNAi) immune responses. We show that engineered S. alvi can stably recolonize bees and produce double-stranded RNA to activate RNAi and repress host gene expression, thereby altering bee physiology, behavior, and growth. We used this approach to improve bee survival after a viral challenge[ DWV] , and we show that engineered S. alvi can kill parasitic Varroa mites by triggering the mite RNAi response. This symbiont-mediated RNAi approach is a tool for studying bee functional genomics and potentially for safeguarding bee health.

> Engineered symbionts activate honey bee immunity and limit pathogens
 
>Sean P. Leonard et al. 


Bill Hesbach
Cheshire  CT

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