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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The United States Department of Agriculture has given emergency approval for distribution vaccine American foulbrood in bee. The world’s first vaccine aims to protect bees against a deadly disease caused by bacteria spore forming in the larvae, Paenibacillus larvae.

Honey bees are an important component of agriculture. A third of the world’s food supply depends on pollination, and healthy commercial hives are essential to ensure high yields.

However, honey bees are plagued by American foulbrood. True clinical cases have been reported in the United States and Canada, and the only methods to deal with them are the burning or incineration of infected bees, hives and material. There is no safe and lasting solution for the prevention of the disease.

Another way is to use antibiotics, but their effectiveness is very limited, in addition to taking a lot of time and energy to apply. “This (vaccine) is an exciting breakthrough for beekeepers,” said Trevor Tauzer, owner of Tauzer Apiaries and member of the California State Beekeepers Association.

That way, Tauzer adds, “If we can prevent infection from spreading through the hive, we can avoid costly maintenance and focus our energies on other things essential to maintaining bee health.”

Annette Kleiser, CEO of Dalan Animal Health, the biotech company producing the vaccine, said she is committed to providing innovative solutions to protect pollinators and promote sustainable agriculture. Especially with global population growth and climate change factors.

“Our vaccine is a breakthrough in protecting honey bees,” he said, adding, “We are ready to change the way insects are treated, which impacts food production at scale. world”.

bacteria Paenibacillus larvae developed by Dalan Animal Health and produced by Diamond Animal Health (Des Moines, IA). The vaccine containing the weakened bacteria will be mixed with royal jelly or queen’s milk secreted by the head organs of the worker bees which will then be fed to the queen and her larvae.

By eating it, the queen bee will also digest the vaccine and transfer immunity to her children against the bacteria that attack the larvae. As additional information, Dalan Animal Health pointed out, “This vaccine is not a GMO product and can be used in organic farming.

Large efficacy studies have shown that oral vaccination of these bees can reduce larval mortality associated with AFB infection. Mortality previously reached almost 40% among honey bee colonies in the winter of 2019.

Read also : Wallace’s giant bee found, once believed to be extinct

In fact, the Bee Informed Partnership illustrates the importance of pollinating insects by calling them “responsible for one in three food bites.” The reduction in honey bee populations, according to data from the partnership, is a combination of three causes: reduced plant diversity, poor husbandry practices and habitat loss.

Beyond that, pesticides also weaken the immune system of honey bees and can kill them. Another enemy is the Varroa flea, which parasitizes by sucking up its own fatty tissue, stunting and weakening the bees and potentially causing the entire colony to collapse.

The US Department of Agriculture issued a two-year conditional license for the vaccine from Dalan Animal Health. “For emergency situations and there is a compelling expectation of efficacy,” reads the published note. Dalan will distribute the vaccine on a limited basis to commercial beekeepers and expects the vaccine to be available for purchase in the United States in 2024.

DAILY MAIL, BUSINESS WIRE, NPR