Immune Priming in A. Mellifera

ECU Author/Contributor (non-ECU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

R. Starling Krentz (Creator)

Institution

East Carolina University (ECU )

Web Site: http://www.ecu.edu/lib/

Abstract: "Trans-generational immune priming (TgIP) is the transfer of maternal immune experience to progeny , producing offspring pathogen resistance and ultimately survival from infections. In colony-forming insects like the honey bee Apis mellifera , TgIP would yield a form of lasting immunity benefiting subsequent generations. TgIP has been demonstrated in multiple social insects , but the efficacy and longevity of this immune protection is yet to be fully understood. To induce ""priming"" we inoculated honeybee queens with Paenibacillus larvae (Pl) , a spore-forming bacterium causing American Foulbrood , a brood disease that once plagued beekeepers worldwide. Following inoculation , offspring of ""primed"" queens were fed a diet containing P. larvae spores and mortality rates were measured to assess TGIP. Our data reflects a dramatic reduction in larval mortality in A. mellifera colonies with ""primed"" queens , and demonstrates the efficacy of this protection at multiple timepoints."

Additional Information

Publication

Thesis

Language: English

Date: 2017

Keywords

Priming

Subjects

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