Abstract
Typical European propolis is an antibiotic substance derived from the resin of poplar, birch, and aspen buds. Here, we tested the ability of propolis originating from the resins of these plants to inhibit the in vitro growth of Paenibacillus larvae, the organism that causes American foulbrood, a fatal honeybee larval disease. The study involved GC-MS analysis of extracts from nine samples of propolis gathered from the temperate climate zone of Europe. The extracts showed noticeable differences in the content of flavonoids and other phenolic compounds. Despite the differences in chemical composition, all tested extracts inhibited the growth of P. larvae, with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 7.8 to 62.4 μg mL−1. It was found that not only did the content of flavonoids affect the strength of antimicrobial activity, but other phenolics, such as the phenylpropenoids hydroxycinnamyl sesquiterpenols, glycerides and benzoates also had an effect. This is the first report on the comparative activity of different types of European propolis against P. larvae.
Highlights
American foulbrood (AFB), a disease of honeybee larvae, has been known for more than 200 years
Antibiotics and sulfathiazole are legally banned in the European Union for use in beekeeping (Mutinelli 2003), because honeybees are classed as farming animals, whose products cannot contain the residues of any drugs; this greatly limits the treatment possibilities
It is relevant to ascertain how the chemical composition of different propolis types influences their activity against P. larvae
Summary
American foulbrood (AFB), a disease of honeybee larvae, has been known for more than 200 years. Antibiotics or sulfathiazole are used to combat AFB; these drugs only suppress the clinical symptoms and cannot cure the disease, because they are not effective against the infectious endospores (Genersch 2010). This practice leads to serious consequences, such as reduced honeybee vitality through the suppression of the endogenous microflora in these bees, the almost inevitable pollution of beekeeping products with medicinal residues, and the appearance of bacterial resistance (Lodesani and Costa 2005; Miyagi et al 2000; Gende et al 2010; Buczek 2011). Antibiotics and sulfathiazole are legally banned in the European Union for use in beekeeping (Mutinelli 2003), because honeybees are classed as farming animals, whose products cannot contain the residues of any drugs; this greatly limits the treatment possibilities
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