A new study found that bees are vaccinating their babies to boost their immune systems and keep them protected from diseases they could pick up from the environment. The findings can be used in the development of natural vaccines for insects.
Researchers from Arizona State University, University of Helsinki, University of Jyväskylä and Norwegian University of Life Sciences discovered this natural vaccine while studying the bee blood protein called vitellogenin. This protein acts as a carrier of immunity.
The process of natural vaccination is very simple. The queen bee eats the food that the worker bees get from the environment, which happened to be full of bacteria. These bacteria bind with the vitellogenin and are transferred to the developing eggs. As a result, the babies are already vaccinated or immunized even before they are born.
"The process by which bees transfer immunity to their babies was a big mystery until now. What we found is that it's as simple as eating," Gro Amdam, a professor with ASU's School of Life Sciences and co-author of the paper, said in a news release. "Our amazing discovery was made possible because of 15 years of basic research on vitellogenin. This exemplifies how long-term investments in basic research pay off."
Scientists plan to replicate the natural vaccine and improve it to help the bees fight the American Foul Brood. These deadly bacteria infect bee larva as they ingest food contaminated with its spores, eventually the larva will die as the bacteria feed on their nourishment.
"We are patenting a way to produce a harmless vaccine, as well as how to cultivate the vaccines and introduce them to bee hives through a cocktail the bees would eat. They would then be able to stave off disease," Dalial Freitak, a postdoctoral researcher with University of Helsinki and study co-author, added.
Bees play a critical role in maintaining the food supply. They are one of the insects that pollinate which is needed by plants to reproduce. Bees are mainly responsible on keeping fruits, nuts, seeds and vegetables on our diet.
The study was published in the July 31 issue of PLOS Pathogens.
