recent work with probiotics and AFB:

We compared experimentally AFB-infected colonies treated with hbs-LAB [honeybee-specific lactic acid bacteria] supplements to untreated and tylosin-treated colonies and recorded AFB symptoms, bacterial spore levels, and two measures of colony health. hbs-LAB supplements did not affect AFB symptoms at the colony level. hbs-LAB is unlikely to have any desired effect but, in contrast, may negatively affect colony health.

We wanted to evaluate the effects of hbs-LAB supplements relative to no treatment (negative control), placebo supplements, or antibiotic (tylosin) treatment on four key parameters: (i) colony-level P. larvae spore prevalence/amounts, (ii) colony-level AFB symptoms, (iii) colony size, and (iv) amount of brood. These objectives were tested at the most realistic organizational scale of the superorganism, namely, at the colony level, and changes in spore levels, clinical symptoms, and colony health were monitored over an entire season.

Stephan, J. G., Lamei, S., Pettis, J. S., Riesbeck, K., de Miranda, J. R., & Forsgren, E. (2019). Honeybee-Specific Lactic Acid Bacterium Supplements Have No Effect on American Foulbrood-Infected Honeybee Colonies. Applied and environmental microbiology, 85(13), e00606-19.

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