Neonicotinoid-induced pathogen susceptibility is mitigated by Lactobacillus plantarum immune stimulation in a Drosophila melanogaster model
Pesticides are used extensively in food production to maximize crop yields. However, neonicotinoid insecticides exert unintentional toxicity to honey bees ( Apis mellifera ) that may partially be associated with massive population declines referred to as colony collapse disorder. We hypothesized tha...
Saved in:
Published in | Scientific reports Vol. 7; no. 1; pp. 2703 - 13 |
---|---|
Main Authors | , , , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
London
Nature Publishing Group UK
02.06.2017
Nature Publishing Group Nature Portfolio |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
Cover
Loading…
Summary: | Pesticides are used extensively in food production to maximize crop yields. However, neonicotinoid insecticides exert unintentional toxicity to honey bees (
Apis mellifera
) that may partially be associated with massive population declines referred to as colony collapse disorder. We hypothesized that imidacloprid (common neonicotinoid; IMI) exposure would make
Drosophila melanogaster
(an insect model for the honey bee) more susceptible to bacterial pathogens, heat stress, and intestinal dysbiosis. Our results suggested that the immune deficiency (Imd) pathway is necessary for
D
.
melanogaster
survival in response to IMI toxicity. IMI exposure induced alterations in the host-microbiota as noted by increased indigenous
Acetobacter
and
Lactobacillus
spp. Furthermore, sub-lethal exposure to IMI resulted in decreased
D
.
melanogaster
survival when simultaneously exposed to bacterial infection and heat stress (37 °C). This coincided with exacerbated increases in
TotA
and
Dpt
(Imd downstream pro-survival and antimicrobial genes, respectively) expression compared to controls. Supplementation of IMI-exposed
D
.
melanogaster
with
Lactobacillus plantarum
ATCC 14917 mitigated survival deficits following
Serratia marcescens
(bacterial pathogen) septic infection. These findings support the insidious toxicity of neonicotinoid pesticides and potential for probiotic lactobacilli to reduce IMI-induced susceptibility to infection. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 2045-2322 2045-2322 |
DOI: | 10.1038/s41598-017-02806-w |