According to a Swiss study, bees themselves produce the ingredients needed by a certain type of intestinal bacteria when these are lacking in their diet.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Português
pt
Abelhas produzem nutrientes para suas bactérias intestinais
This newly discovered mechanism could play a role in understanding how vulnerable bees are to climate change, pesticides or new pathogens, according to a press release by the Federal Instittue of technology in Lausanne (EPFL) and the University of Lausanne (UNIL).
For the study published this week in the journal Nature Microbiology, the researchers raised bees without intestinal bacteria and fed them sugar water exclusively. By examining the bacteria present in the bees’ intestines, the researchers unexpectedly discovered the presence of the bacteria Snodgrassella alvi. This bacteria cannot metabolise sugar in order to develop.
The fact that it colonised the bees’ intestines even when sugar was the only food and no other bacteria were present initially puzzled the researchers. Intestinal bacteria normally feed on substances present in food.
By measuring the products of metabolism in the bee’s intestine, the scientists found that the bee produces several acids, including citric acid and malic acid, which are transported in the intestine. When Snodgrassella alvi bacteria were already present, the bees produced fewer of these acids.
Link to understanding vulnerability
Using specially marked atoms, the researchers were able to prove that the intestinal bacteria were indeed fed with these acids. According to the researchers, the vulnerability of bees could be linked to this complex system of the intestinal microbiome.
“We already know that contact with the herbicide glyphosate makes bees more vulnerable to pathogens and reduces the abundance of S. alvi in the gut,” said study leader Andrew Quinn, from UNIL, quoted in the press release.
The authors therefore hope to study the intestinal microbiome of bees in greater detail in other studies.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
Swiss authorities announce cost-cutting in asylum sector
This content was published on
The government notably wants to improve integration into the labour force, particularly for people with protection status S.
Various leaders confirm participation at Ukraine peace conference
This content was published on
The presidents of Poland, Finland, and Latvia and the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium will be at the Swiss-hosted talks in mid-June.
This content was published on
In the winter season up to April 2024, railway and cable car operators ferried 3% more visitors compared to the previous winter, and 5% more than the five-year average.
Rhine flooding: Swiss to invest CHF1 billion with Austria
This content was published on
As part of an international agreement with Austria, the Swiss government wants to pump CHF1 billion ($1.1 billion) into flood protection measures along the Rhine over the next three decades.
Swiss government proposes CHF10 million UNRWA donation
This content was published on
After months of debate, Switzerland plans to give CHF10 million ($11 million) to the UN agency this year, rather than the CHF20 million initially foreseen.
Swiss study: insects mainly migrate at midday and dusk
This content was published on
A study led by the Swiss Ornithological Institute in canton Lucerne is helping to better understand the movement patterns of migratory insects.
Red Cross: 22 staff killed in Middle East since October
This content was published on
The Red Cross and Red Crescent network in Gaza and Israel has lost 22 staff members since last October, the Swiss Red Cross (SRC) said on Wednesday.
Dortmund’s Kobel is first Swiss goalie in Champions League final
This content was published on
Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel has achieved history by becoming the first Swiss goalkeeper to reach a Champion’s League final.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.