ArticleParasitology2019
pH-mediated inhibition of a bumble bee parasite by an intestinal symbiont.
Article in Parasitology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed.
- Environment and Pollen Diversity Differentially Affect the Gut Microbiomes of Introduced Honeybees and Bumblebees.Evolutionary applications · 2026Article
- Bumble bee gut microbial community structure differs between species and commercial suppliers, but metabolic potential remains largely consistent.Applied and environmental microbiology · 2025Article
- Exploring climate-related gut microbiome variation in bumble bees: An experimental and observational perspective.Ecology · 2025Article
- Changes in bumblebee queen gut microbiotas during and after overwintering diapause.Insect molecular biology · 2025Article
- Estradiol metabolism by gut microbiota in women's depression pathogenesis: inspiration from nature.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Review
- Article
- The honeybee microbiota and its impact on health and disease.Nature reviews. Microbiology · 2024Review
- Exposure to a fungicide for a field-realistic duration does not alter bumble bee fecal microbiota structure.Applied and environmental microbiology · 2024Article
- Genomic investigations of diverse corbiculate bee gut-associated Gilliamella reveal conserved pathways for energy metabolism, with diverse and variable energy sources.Access microbiology · 2024Article
- Article
- Solitary Bees Host More Bacteria and Fungi on Their Cuticle than Social Bees.Microorganisms · 2023Article
- High temperatures augment inhibition of parasites by a honey bee gut symbiont.Applied and environmental microbiology · 2023Article
- Microbiome assembly and maintenance across the lifespan of bumble bee workers.Molecular ecology · 2023Article
- A Study on Symbiotic Systems of Cicadas Provides New Insights into Distribution of Microbial Symbionts and Improves Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization Technique.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- Potential effects of nectar microbes on pollinator health.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2022Review
- Probiotic Potential and Effects on Gut Microbiota Composition and Immunity of Indigenous Gut Lactobacilli in Apis cerana.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2022Article
- Genetic variation and microbiota in bumble bees cross-infected by different strains of C. bombi.PloS one · 2022Article
- Why Did the Bee Eat the Chicken? Symbiont Gain, Loss, and Retention in the Vulture Bee Microbiome.mBio · 2021Article
- Hot and sour: parasite adaptations to honeybee body temperature and pH.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2021Article
- The gut microbiota of bumblebees.Insectes sociaux · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Gut symbionts can augment resistance to pathogens by stimulating host-immune responses, competing for space and nutrients, or producing antimicrobial metabolites. Gut microbiota of social bees, which pollinate many crops and wildflowers, protect hosts against diverse infections and might counteract pathogen-related bee declines. Bumble bee gut microbiota, and specifically abundance of Lactobacillus 'Firm-5' bacteria, can enhance resistance to the trypanosomatid parasite Crithidia bombi. However, the mechanism underlying this effect remains unknown. We hypothesized that the Firm-5 bacterium Lactobacillus bombicola, which produces lactic acid, inhibits C. bombi via pH-mediated effects. Consistent with our hypothesis, L. bombicola spent medium inhibited C. bombi growth via reduction in pH that was both necessary and sufficient for inhibition. Inhibition of all parasite strains occurred within the pH range documented in honey bees, though sensitivity to acidity varied among strains. Spent medium was slightly more potent than HCl, d- and l-lactic acids for a given pH, suggesting that other metabolites also contribute to inhibition. Results implicate symbiont-mediated reduction in gut pH as a key determinant of trypanosomatid infection in bees. Future investigation into in vivo effects of gut microbiota on pH and infection intensity would test the relevance of these findings for bees threatened by trypanosomatids.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.