The bee vaccine developed by biotech company Dalan Animal Health has been approved for him United States Department of Agriculture. It will be used to fight the american foulbrood caused by bacteria Paenibacillus larvae.
The american foulbrood is one of the mortal diseases more common in bees. kill the larvae, and you can end up with a hive in no time. The bees Are responsible for the pollination of a third of the food we eatand their work is essential for humans with population growth and climate change.
Until now there were only very expensive antibiotics and very complicated to supply. In practice, you almost always have to burn the hiveto prevent the plague from spreading.
A vaccine for birds against American foulbrood
biotech company Dalan Animal Health offers a different approach. Instead of curing the disease, he prefers prevent it by means of a vaccine that immunizes the bees. This way they will not be infected or they will do it mildly, as has happened with the covid.
You may have imagined a long-suffering vet with a steely pulse trying to prick a bee with a tiny syringe, but luckily, you don’t have to do it that way. A hive can hold up to 80,000 beesand vaccinating them one by one is impossible.
As explained businesswire the vaccine, which contains bacteria Paenibacillus larvae of whole dead cells, it is administered by mixing it with the queen’s food that the worker bees consume.
The worker bees incorporate the vaccine into the royal jelly and give it to the the Queen. This is ingested and the vaccine fragments are deposited in her ovaries. Having been exposed to the vaccine, developing larvae have immunity when they hatch.
Another point in favor is that the vaccine it is not transgenicand can be used in organic farming.
“We are committed to offering innovative solutions to protect our pollinators and promote sustainable agriculture. Global population growth and climate change will increase the importance of bee pollination in ensuring our food supply“, explains Dr. Annette Kleiser, Managing Director of Dalan Animal Health.
“Our vaccine is a breakthrough in the protection of honey bees. We are poised to change the way we care for insects, which will impact food production globally,” concludes.
Is bee vaccine against american foulbrood will reach North American beekeepers this year. Great news that will revolutionize the way we take care of insects.
