INBIOTEC   24408
INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACIONES EN BIODIVERSIDAD Y BIOTECNOLOGIA
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
In vitro antibacterial effect of lauric acid on Paenibacillus larvae, causal agent of American foulbrood
Autor/es:
CUGNATA, NOELIA; DE PIANNO, FIORELA; PELLEGRINI, MARÍA CELESTE; ALONSO-SALCES, ROSA MARÍA; FUSELLI, ROSA
Lugar:
Bruselas
Reunión:
Simposio; AFERP & STOLON International Symposium; 2013
Institución organizadora:
Université Catholique de Louvain & Université Libre de Bruxelles
Resumen:
American foulbrood (AFB) is a serious disease that affects the larvae of honeybee Apis mellifera. It is caused by Paenibacillus larvae, a resistant spore forming bacterium, which remains viable through long periods of time and survives environmental adversities (1). This plague is usually controlled with antibiotics which could leave toxic residues in honey and by products. Laboratory and field trials were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of lauric acid, an innocuous saturated fatty acid, in the prevention and control of AFB in honeybee colonies. The antimicrobial activity of lauric acid against ten P. larvae strains was determined by the broth microdilution method. In vitro assays showed the lowest concentration of lauric acid that cause the inhibition of the bacterial strains, The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimal bactericide concentration (MBC) mean values were 20,33 µg mL-1 (range: 13,54 - 27,08 mg mL-1). Lauric acid toxicity to adult honeybees was tested by two different methods and registered after 24h, 48h and 72h. The LD50 (Lethal Dose 50) mean values obtained were 216,6 mg/bee (24h); 166,9 mg/bee (48h); 137,6 mg/bee (72h) by the oral administration method; and 1.352 mg/plate (24h), 1.255 mg/plate (48h) and 1.214 mg/plate (72h) by the complete exposure method. The LD50 indicated that complete exposure method would be the safer one to administer the fatty acid on beehives. The results obtained for lauric acid in the present study contribute to the screening of alternative natural compounds to control AFB in the apiaries. This way, toxicological risks and other undesirable effects, such as resistances due to the indiscriminate use of antibiotics, would be avoided.