Entomologists already knew that queen bees naturally immunize their offspring against certain pathogens: the vaccination campaign is mandatory in the hive. What remained so far a mystery was the method they used.
An international group of scientists from the Arizona State University, the University of Helsinki (Finland), the University of Jyväskyla (also in Finland) and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences have just published the results of a study that It has gone on for no less than fifteen years and it seems to solve the case.
According to these experts, the main responsible for immunization is vitellogenin, a protein present in the blood of bees. “We have discovered that it is a process as simple for them as feeding,” explains Gro Amdam, co-author of the work, which has been published in the journal PLOS Pathogens .
Vaccination would occur as follows. By collecting pollen and nectar, worker bees can also bring pathogenic bacteria into the hive. These microbes end up in the stomach of the queen bee when she ingests royal jelly, made by the workers with pollen collected from the outside. When digesting this food, harmful microorganisms are stored in a queen organ similar to the liver , composed of fats.
It is then that vitellogenin comes into action, absorbing fragments of the bacteria and being transmitted through the blood to the eggs. This inoculation finally strengthens the immune system of bee babies against infections caused by these microbes.
Knowing the substance that carries immunization, scientists suggest that it would be possible to make edible vaccines to combat pests in hives. In addition, this discovery could be applied to other oviparous species such as fish, chickens, reptiles or amphibians , since vitellogenin also runs through their veins.
