Agro-Industrial Waste: New source of raw material for the control of American foulbrood in honey bees

Abstract

Agro-industrial waste production represents an environmental problem, andits processing results in the obtainment of by-products that are rich sources of bioactivecompounds. Apis mellifera are social insects that create the ideal conditions for thetransmission of pathogens. American foulbrood (AFB) is the main pathology thataffects bee brood; the causative agent is the Gram-positive bacteria Paenibacilluslarvae. During the last years, there have been significant losses of hives by the use ofsynthetic antimicrobials for the control of AFB. The presence of antibiotics in honeyand other products of the hive have generated concern in consumers regarding the risksof toxicity, negatively influencing the time of marketing and export. On the other hand,there is the possibility of the appearance of resistance by pathogenic microorganismscaused by incomplete treatments or an overdose of the antibiotic used. More than 70plant extracts have been evaluated in vitro and in vivo against P. larvae; for this reason,the revaluation of biological waste material from agroindustry is being studied throughpharmacodynamic and pharmacognosy analysis both in P. larvae and in the differentstages of development of A. mellifera.