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Full-Text Articles in Microbiology
Bacteriophages For Treating American Foulbrood And The Neutralization Of Paenibacillus Larvae Spores, Thomas Scott Brady
Bacteriophages For Treating American Foulbrood And The Neutralization Of Paenibacillus Larvae Spores, Thomas Scott Brady
Theses and Dissertations
The causative agent of the most devastating honeybee disease, American foulbrood (AFB), is the spore-forming bacterium Paenibacillus larvae. To prevent AFB outbreaks beekeepers prophylactically treat their hives with antibiotics even though it decreases the overall health of uninfected hives. A new treatment for AFB is needed due to recent legislation against using antibiotics, antibiotic resistance developing in P. larvae, and the resilience of P. larvae spores. Bacteriophages, or phages, are an attractive alternative to traditional antibiotics because of their specificity and ability to evolve alongside their target bacterium. In this study, two phage cocktails were developed for the …
Advancing Phage Genomics And Honeybee Health Through Discovery And Characterization Of Paenibacillaceae Bacteriophages, Bryan Douglas Merrill
Advancing Phage Genomics And Honeybee Health Through Discovery And Characterization Of Paenibacillaceae Bacteriophages, Bryan Douglas Merrill
Theses and Dissertations
The Paenibacillaceae family of bacteria includes two species known to infect the hives of honeybees, Paenibacillus larvae and Brevibacillus laterosporus. P. larvae, the causative agent of American Foulbrood (AFB) causes a lethal infection of honeybee larvae, while B. laterosporus is a secondary invader following European Foulbrood (EFB) infection. Increasing antibiotic resistance of P. larvae bacteria has prompted a search for alternative treatment methods for this disease. Bacteriophages are the most diverse life forms on earth and can provide important insights about the bacterial hosts they infect. However, few Paenibacillaceae phages have been isolated or characterized. In this study, the first …
P. Larvae Bacteriophages As A Treatment For American Foulbrood In Honeybees, Bryan Merrill, Sandra Burnett
P. Larvae Bacteriophages As A Treatment For American Foulbrood In Honeybees, Bryan Merrill, Sandra Burnett
Journal of Undergraduate Research
The deadly honey bee disease American Foulbrood (AFB) is caused by the bacterium Paenibacillus larvae. The widespread use of antibiotics to prevent or treat AFB has led to many drug-resistant strains of P. larvae. Bacteriophages can target and destroy specific strains of bacteria and can be used to treat bacterial infections. This study accomplished two main goals. We determined the efficacy of previously isolated P. larvae phages as a treatment for AFB by applying a phage spray to infected beehives. We also isolated P. larvae bacteria from the infected hives we treated and identified phages to better counteract …