The transmittable through stinging microbiota differs between honeybees and wasps: a potentially greater microbial risk of the wasp sting for humans

International Microbiology · 10 authors, 6 centres

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TL;DR

They found that wasps and hornets harbored clinically important bacteria like Enterococcus faecalis, while honeybees did not, suggesting a potentially greater microbial risk from wasp stings.

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Researchers used culture-based methods to survey surfaces of the sting apparatus, back legs, and whole insects for clinically important bacterial pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Enterococcus faecalis/faecium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa). They recovered 64 bacterial isolates: 17 from honeybees and 47 from vespids. This difference suggests vespids may contact fecal-origin materials and pose a higher microbial transmission risk to humans.

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other

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infectious disease

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ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10397125

The transmittable through stinging microbiota differs between honeybees and wasps: a potentially greater microbial risk of the wasp sting for humans

International Microbiology

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ABSTRACT

Abstract The present research investigated whether accidental contact through stinging with honeybees, wasps, and hornets could represent a microbial hazard for humans. It has been previously suggested that such contact may transmit pathogens causing infections that could even be fatal for some susceptible individuals. Stinging simulation experiments were performed in the lab with live insects collected from the environment in Lemnos Island (north-eastern Greece), while different selective agar media targeting some clinically important bacteria (i.e., Staphylococcus aureus , Streptococcus pyogenes , Enterococcus faecalis/faecium , and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ) were used as substrates for microbial recovery and identification. Results revealed none of the target pathogenic bacterial species in the honeybee samples, with bacilli, staphylococci, and micrococci dominating their surveyed microbiota. However, most of the suspect colonies isolated from wasps and hornets belonged to important hygienic indicators (i.e., enterococci, Proteus mirabilis , and coliforms), implying possible contact of these insects with fecal origin materials. To sum up, the microbiota that may be transmitted to humans through stinging appears to differ between honeybees and wasps/hornets, while the isolation from the latter samples of some other important opportunistic pathogens, such as Enterobacter spp. and Klebsiella spp., also known for multidrug resistance, could be an additional reason of concern. Keywords: Hymenoptera stinging, Honeybees, Wasps, Microbiota, Bacterial pathogens, Infection

CITATION EXPORT

Ioanna Gkitsaki, Alexandros Papachristoforou, Sofia Michailidou et al.. The transmittable through stinging microbiota differs between honeybees and wasps: a potentially greater microbial risk of the wasp sting for humans. International Microbiology. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10123-023-00332-6

AUTHORS

10 · 6 CENTRES

Ioanna Gkitsaki, Alexandros Papachristoforou, Sofia Michailidou, Nikolaos Karamvalis, Ioannis Iliadis, Dimitra Graikini, Christina Sakarikou, Evangelos Tsoukis, Anagnostis Argyriou, Efstathios Giaouris

1Laboratory of Food Microbiology and Hygiene, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, School of the Environment, University of the Aegean, 81400 Myrina, Lemnos Greece
2Department of Food Science and Technology, School of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 57001, Thermi, Thessaloniki Greece
3Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), 57001, Thermi, Thessaloniki Greece
4Present address: Department of Animal Production and Sciences of the Food, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zaragoza University, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain
5Microbiology Department of Lemnos Diagnostic Laboratory Medical S.A., 81400 Myrina, Lemnos Greece
6Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Functional Genomics, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, School of the Environment, University of the Aegean, 81400 Myrina, Lemnos Greece