Abstract
Bacillus genus seems to play a symbiotic relationship with the stingless bee Scaptotrigona depilis. Ribosomal DNA of this microbial genus was found in abdominal tissue from fossils of an extinct stingless bee which was estimate with more than 20 million years in age, suggesting a very old association1. One Bacillus sp., isolated from larvae's gut of the Brazilian stingless bee S. depilis, inhibited the growth of entomopathogens and also of human pathogens in pairwise interactions in Petri dishes. In order to isolate antimicrobial compounds, this microorganism was cultured in ISP-2 liquid medium during seven days at 30 °C and 120 rpm. After centrifugation, the supernatant was extracted with ethyl acetate. The crude extract was fractionated using Sephadex column, giving an enriched fraction containing lipopeptides characterized using 1D and 2D NMR and MS analyses. This class of compounds is already known for its antimicrobial activity, and can be also responsible for the protection of this bee against entomophatogens.
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