New work just published:

> We evaluated the potential application of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from fermented feeds and foods for use as probiotics against Paenibacillus larvae, the causal agent of American foulbrood (AFB) in vitro. We also assessed the ability of LAB to induce the expression of antimicrobial peptide genes in vivo. Screening of the 208 LAB isolated from fermented feeds and foods revealed that nine strains inhibited the in vitro growth of P. larvae. \

> After oral administration of several of the screened LAB to larvae and adults, the transcription levels of antimicrobial peptide genes, such as abaecin, defensin and hymenoptaecin, were found to increase significantly. These findings suggested that selected LAB stimulate the innate immune response in honeybees, which may be useful for preventing bacterial diseases in honeybees. This is the first report to characterize the probiotic effects of LAB isolated from fermented feeds and foods in honeybees.

> It is well known that *not all LAB exhibit probiotic properties* and different strains of the same bacterial species sometimes exhibit different effects. For example, strain 577, which was identified as a Weissella sp., induced the expression of abaecin, defensin and hymenoptaecin after oral administration; however, strains A52 and 821 did not exhibit any up-regulation, even though they are very closely related to 577. This suggests that the effect of LAB on antimicrobial peptide gene expression is strain-specific, and is not related to either the species or the source of the strains. On the other hand, in adult honeybees, only strain F13 was associated with significant up-regulation of abaecin and hymenoptaecin. 

Yoshiyama, M., Wu, M., Sugimura, Y., Takaya, N., Kimoto-Nira, H., & Suzuki, C. (2012). Inhibition of Paenibacillus larvae by lactic acid bacteria isolated from fermented materials. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology.

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