Caffeine Consumption Helps Honey Bees Fight a Bacterial Pathogen
ABSTRACT Caffeine has long been used as a stimulant by humans. Although this secondary metabolite is produced by some plants as a mechanism of defense against herbivores, beneficial or detrimental effects of such consumption are usually associated with dose. The Western honey bee, Apis mellifera, ca...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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American Society for Microbiology
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Microbiology Spectrum |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.00520-23 |
| _version_ | 1827925083993145344 |
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| author | Erick V. S. Motta Ryan L. W. Arnott Nancy A. Moran |
| author_facet | Erick V. S. Motta Ryan L. W. Arnott Nancy A. Moran |
| author_sort | Erick V. S. Motta |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Caffeine has long been used as a stimulant by humans. Although this secondary metabolite is produced by some plants as a mechanism of defense against herbivores, beneficial or detrimental effects of such consumption are usually associated with dose. The Western honey bee, Apis mellifera, can also be exposed to caffeine when foraging at Coffea and Citrus plants, and low doses as are found in the nectar of these plants seem to boost memory learning and ameliorate parasite infection in bees. In this study, we investigated the effects of caffeine consumption on the gut microbiota of honey bees and on susceptibility to bacterial infection. We performed in vivo experiments in which honey bees, deprived of or colonized with their native microbiota, were exposed to nectar-relevant concentrations of caffeine for a week, then challenged with the bacterial pathogen Serratia marcescens. We found that caffeine consumption did not impact the gut microbiota or survival rates of honey bees. Moreover, microbiota-colonized bees exposed to caffeine were more resistant to infection and exhibited increased survival rates compared to microbiota-colonized or microbiota-deprived bees only exposed to the pathogen. Our findings point to an additional benefit of caffeine consumption in honey bee health by protecting against bacterial infections. IMPORTANCE The consumption of caffeine is a remarkable feature of the human diet. Common drinks, such as coffee and tea, contain caffeine as a stimulant. Interestingly, honey bees also seem to like caffeine. They are usually attracted to the low concentrations of caffeine found in nectar and pollen of Coffea plants, and consumption improves learning and memory retention, as well as protects against viruses and fungal parasites. In this study, we expanded these findings by demonstrating that caffeine can improve survival rates of honey bees infected with Serratia marcescens, a bacterial pathogen known to cause sepsis in animals. However, this beneficial effect was only observed when bees were colonized with their native gut microbiota, and caffeine seemed not to directly affect the gut microbiota or survival rates of bees. Our findings suggest a potential synergism between caffeine and gut microbial communities in protection against bacterial pathogens. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T05:20:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6ce356648b1c4628961f95afc438d6d6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2165-0497 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T05:20:08Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | American Society for Microbiology |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microbiology Spectrum |
| spelling | doaj.art-6ce356648b1c4628961f95afc438d6d62023-06-15T13:18:33ZengAmerican Society for MicrobiologyMicrobiology Spectrum2165-04972023-06-0111310.1128/spectrum.00520-23Caffeine Consumption Helps Honey Bees Fight a Bacterial PathogenErick V. S. Motta0Ryan L. W. Arnott1Nancy A. Moran2Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USADepartment of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USADepartment of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USAABSTRACT Caffeine has long been used as a stimulant by humans. Although this secondary metabolite is produced by some plants as a mechanism of defense against herbivores, beneficial or detrimental effects of such consumption are usually associated with dose. The Western honey bee, Apis mellifera, can also be exposed to caffeine when foraging at Coffea and Citrus plants, and low doses as are found in the nectar of these plants seem to boost memory learning and ameliorate parasite infection in bees. In this study, we investigated the effects of caffeine consumption on the gut microbiota of honey bees and on susceptibility to bacterial infection. We performed in vivo experiments in which honey bees, deprived of or colonized with their native microbiota, were exposed to nectar-relevant concentrations of caffeine for a week, then challenged with the bacterial pathogen Serratia marcescens. We found that caffeine consumption did not impact the gut microbiota or survival rates of honey bees. Moreover, microbiota-colonized bees exposed to caffeine were more resistant to infection and exhibited increased survival rates compared to microbiota-colonized or microbiota-deprived bees only exposed to the pathogen. Our findings point to an additional benefit of caffeine consumption in honey bee health by protecting against bacterial infections. IMPORTANCE The consumption of caffeine is a remarkable feature of the human diet. Common drinks, such as coffee and tea, contain caffeine as a stimulant. Interestingly, honey bees also seem to like caffeine. They are usually attracted to the low concentrations of caffeine found in nectar and pollen of Coffea plants, and consumption improves learning and memory retention, as well as protects against viruses and fungal parasites. In this study, we expanded these findings by demonstrating that caffeine can improve survival rates of honey bees infected with Serratia marcescens, a bacterial pathogen known to cause sepsis in animals. However, this beneficial effect was only observed when bees were colonized with their native gut microbiota, and caffeine seemed not to directly affect the gut microbiota or survival rates of bees. Our findings suggest a potential synergism between caffeine and gut microbial communities in protection against bacterial pathogens.https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.00520-23Apis melliferaalkaloidsgut microbiomepathogens |
| spellingShingle | Erick V. S. Motta Ryan L. W. Arnott Nancy A. Moran Caffeine Consumption Helps Honey Bees Fight a Bacterial Pathogen Microbiology Spectrum Apis mellifera alkaloids gut microbiome pathogens |
| title | Caffeine Consumption Helps Honey Bees Fight a Bacterial Pathogen |
| title_full | Caffeine Consumption Helps Honey Bees Fight a Bacterial Pathogen |
| title_fullStr | Caffeine Consumption Helps Honey Bees Fight a Bacterial Pathogen |
| title_full_unstemmed | Caffeine Consumption Helps Honey Bees Fight a Bacterial Pathogen |
| title_short | Caffeine Consumption Helps Honey Bees Fight a Bacterial Pathogen |
| title_sort | caffeine consumption helps honey bees fight a bacterial pathogen |
| topic | Apis mellifera alkaloids gut microbiome pathogens |
| url | https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.00520-23 |
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