The molecular and phenotypic characterization of fructophilic lactic acid bacteria isolated from the guts of Apis mellifera L. derived from a Polish apiary

Artur Pachla,Aneta A Ptaszyńska,Magdalena Wicha,Grzegorz Borsuk,Łucja Łaniewska –Trokenheim,Wanda Małek

doi:10.1007/s13353-018-0467-0

Abstract

This paper describes taxonomic position, phylogeny, and phenotypic properties of 14 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) originating from an Apis mellifera guts. Based on the 16S rDNA and recA gene sequence analyses, 12 lactic acid bacteria were assigned to Lactobacillus kunkeei and two others were classified as Fructobacillus fructosus. Biochemically, all isolated lactic acid bacteria showed typical fructophilic features and under anaerobic conditions grew well on fructose, but poorly on glucose. Fast growth of bacteria on glucose was noted in the presence of oxygen or fructose as external electron acceptors. The residents of honeybee guts were classified as heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria. From glucose, they produced almost equimolar amounts of lactic acid, acetic acid, and trace amounts of ethanol. Furthermore, they inhibited the growth of the major honeybee pathogen, Paenibacillus larvae, meaning that the LAB studied may have the health-conferring properties of probiotics.

Highlights

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are a heterogeneous group of Grampositive, facultative anaerobic microorganisms commonly found on flowers and in the intestinal tracts of humans as well as many different animals (Endo et al 2011; Hammes and Hertel 2006; He et al 2011; Hove et al 1999; Neveling et al 2012)
This paper describes taxonomic position, phylogeny, and phenotypic properties of 14 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) originating from an Apis mellifera guts
Based on the 16S rDNA and recombinase A encoding gene (recA) gene sequence analyses, 12 lactic acid bacteria were assigned to Lactobacillus kunkeei and two others were classified as Fructobacillus fructosus

Summary

Introduction

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are a heterogeneous group of Grampositive, facultative anaerobic microorganisms commonly found on flowers and in the intestinal tracts of humans as well as many different animals (Endo et al 2011; Hammes and Hertel 2006; He et al 2011; Hove et al 1999; Neveling et al 2012). These bacteria, as intestinal microflora, play a crucial role in nutrient assimilation, in modulation of the immune response, and in the mitigation and prevention of divers intestinal disorders (Asama et al 2015; Evans and Lopez 2004; Gilliland 1990; Jack et al 1995; Servin 2004). An important group of LAB are lactobacilli, classified to the genus Lactobacillus, which are known probiotic microorganisms (Pǎtruicǎ and Mot 2012; Pattabhiramaiah et al 2012).

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