Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42103708›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

The honey bee triad: a comprehensive catalogue of phages in the Apis mellifera gut microbiome.

Nikolas Basler, Lina De Smet, George Bouras, Jill Swinnen, Katarzyna Pranga, Corina P D Brussaard, Peter Vandamme, Dirk C de Graaf, Jelle Matthijnssens

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Nikolas BaslerLaboratory of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research - KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0791-4369
Lina De SmetDepartment of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Laboratory of Molecular Entomology and Bee Pathology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8005-2059
George BourasSchool of Medicine, College of Health, Adelaide University, Adelaide, SA, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5885-4186
Jill SwinnenLaboratory of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research - KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Katarzyna PrangaLaboratory of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research - KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Corina P D BrussaardDepartment of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), Texel, Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6320-9229
Peter VandammeDepartment of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Laboratory of Microbiology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5581-7937
Dirk C de GraafDepartment of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Laboratory of Molecular Entomology and Bee Pathology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8817-0781
Jelle MatthijnssensLaboratory of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research - KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. jelle.matthijnssens@kuleuven.be.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1188-9733

Funding

EC | Horizon 2020 Framework Programme (EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation H2020) 817622EC | Horizon 2020 Framework Programme (EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation H2020) 955974EC | Horizon 2020 Framework Programme (EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation H2020) H2020Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (Research Foundation Flanders) G049521N
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) contribute to crop production and floral biodiversity via pollination, but their health is increasingly challenged by stressors including pathogens, parasites and agricultural practices. Although the honey bee gut microbiome is relatively simple, its phages are not well studied. Here, we conducted a metagenomic study, providing a comprehensive catalogue of honey bee gut phages from 450 virus-enriched samples from 63 hives, across eight European countries, three seasons and three gut sections. We describe a diverse phageome including many phages that appear to belong to novel taxa, as well as a core set of 97 highly prevalent phages. In addition, we identify potential auxiliary metabolic genes, such as a sulfur metabolism gene carried by phages that are predominantly temperate and likely infect mutualistic honey bee core bacteria. This gene is associated with land use around the sampled hives, indicating complex ecological interactions in the tripartite system of the honey bee, its microbiota and the phages therein.

Indexed as

BacteriophagesGastrointestinal MicrobiomeAnimalsBacteriaBeesBiodiversityEuropeMetagenomeMetagenomicsPhylogenyVirome

Identifiers

PMID42103708
PMCPMC13369170

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.