Daniela Arredondo

Degrees

Current Research Activities

Biological Systems and Organisms

Due to their communal life conditions honeybees can be infected by a wide range of pathogens, including the bacteria Paenibacillus larvae and the microsporidia Nosema ceranae. The strategies for the treatment or prevention of honeybee diseases, based on the use of antibiotics cause several problems. They can generate resistant organisms and leave residues in honey. For these reasons, the development of alternative treatment strategies is necessary. The use of probiotics as food additives is a widely used approach and in recent years there have been several studies proving the effects of their administration in humans and animals. In previous studies, our group obtained a probiotic product that contained bacteria isolated from the intestinal microbiota of bees. In previous essays, it was observed that the administration of this probiotic (in controlled laboratory models) was safe for bees and larvae and it was able to decrease the mortality caused by P. larvae in larvae and the number of N. ceranae spores in adult honeybees. Actually i'm working on generate a therapeutic strategy based in applying this probiotic mixture of Lactobacillus in order to improve honey bee health. In order to do this we are assessing different laboratory strategies for the administration of the probiotic and the concomitant effect in the treatment of N.ceranae infection. Then we are going to evaluate the effect of the probiotic administration on the strength of the hive and in the treatment of naturally infected colonies. This work will enhance the use of probiotics in promoting the health of honey bees.

Current profession

Affiliations