Scientists from the University of Helsinki in Finland have earned the distinction of developing the world’s first vaccine for honeybees and other pollinators.
The vaccine, which is edible, “protects bees from diseases while protecting global food production,” the university said in a news release. Called PrimeBEE, the goal, researchers said, is to protect the bees against American foulbrood (AFB), “a bacterial disease caused by the spore-forming Paenibacillus larvae ssp. Larvae.”
Although often overlooked as leaders in the food production industry, honeybees pollinate more than 80% of the world’s plant species and are considered essential for providing food for humans, production animals, and wildlife. However, a sharp decline in pollinator populations threatens current food production. One of the chief causes is emerging disease, including American foulbrood, a globally spread disease that can kill entire colonies and whose spores can remain viable for more than 50 years.
Heavy infections can affect most of the brood, severely weakening the colony and eventually killing it. The disease is not able to be cured, meaning that destruction of infected colonies and hives or irradiation of infected material is the only way to manage AFB.
The vaccine — which is not yet sold commercially, according to Bloomberg — is also significant because it was once not thought possible to develop a vaccine for insects, as these creatures’ immune systems do not contain antibodies.
“We've discovered the mechanism to show that you can actually vaccinate them,” Dr. Freitak explained. “You can transfer a signal from one generation to another.”
The technology may in future be used to combat fungal diseases and other bacterial infections. The vaccine is administered via an edible sugar patty that’s suspended in the hive for the queen to consume over seven to 10 days. After she ingests the pathogens, she is able to spark an immune response in her offspring, eventually generating an inoculated hive.
American Foulbrood Symptoms: Ropey Dead Larvae and Black Scale. In this picture, you can see how a match stick is used to probe capped brood. Pick a cell with sunken, perforated cappings. When pulling the stick out from infected brood, a brown, ropey slime can be seen. Also pictured here are many cells with black, bacterial spore laden scales on the bottom of the cells, a condition unique to American Fouldbrood. Hold the frame in good light looking at an angle from the top bar towards the bottom bar of the frame. The inset picture shows a closeup of two cells with black scale in the bottom. Photo credit: Michael E Wilson
“If we can help honey bees to be healthier and if we can save even a small part of the bee population with this invention, I think we have done our good deed and saved the world a little bit," Freitak said.
The vaccine still needs a lot of work before it can become commercially available.
Scientists must ensure it’s safe for the environment, the bees themselves and humans who consume the honey. Regulatory hurdles will take years to clear. It’s also too early to estimate how much beekeepers will have to shell out to buy inoculated hives, Freitak said.
Burning an American Foulbrood Infected Hive. Cleaning bacterial spores from wax combs is not practically possible. Photo credit: John Skinner
Bees are dying from a combination of pesticides, habitat destruction, drought, nutrition deficit, global warming and air pollution among other factors.
Of the top human food crops, a whopping 70 of 100 are pollinated by the creatures, which account for as much as 90 per cent of global nutrition.
While yields for potatoes, rice, wheat, and other crops that don’t need pollination may also benefit from more bees, vitamin-rich fruits such as apples, tomatoes and citruses won’t deliver a crop without them, Freitak said.
“The problem really touches all of us,” she said. “We have to start tackling it from all sides.”