Extracts of Polypore Mushroom Mycelia Reduce Viruses in Honey Bees

Waves of highly infectious viruses sweeping through global honey bee populations have contributed to recent declines in honey bee health. Bees have been observed foraging on mushroom mycelium, suggesting that they may be deriving medicinal or nutritional value from fungi. Fungi are known to produce...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Scientific reports Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 13936 - 6
Main Authors:	Stamets, Paul E., Naeger, Nicholas L., Evans, Jay D., Han, Jennifer O., Hopkins, Brandon K., Lopez, Dawn, Moershel, Henry M., Nally, Regan, Sumerlin, David, Taylor, Alex W., Carris, Lori M., Sheppard, Walter S.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	London Nature Publishing Group UK 04-10-2018 Nature Publishing Group Nature Portfolio
Subjects:	38/91 45 45/77 631/326/193/2544 631/601/1466 Administration, Oral Animals Antimicrobial activity Antimicrobial agents Antiviral activity Apis mellifera Bees Bees - drug effects Bees - parasitology Bees - virology Colonies Colony Collapse - prevention & control Coriolaceae - chemistry Coriolaceae - growth & development Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) Dose-Response Relationship, Drug Female Fungi Ganoderma Ganoderma - chemistry Ganoderma - growth & development Ganoderma Resinaceum Honey Honeybees Humanities and Social Sciences Insect Viruses - isolation & purification multidisciplinary Mushrooms Mycelia Mycelium - chemistry Nucleus Colony Nutritive value Plant Extracts - administration & dosage Plant Extracts - pharmacology Plant Extracts - therapeutic use Polypore Mushroom RNA Viruses - isolation & purification Science Science (multidisciplinary) Varroidae - virology Viruses Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) Polypore Mushroom Ganoderma Resinaceum Nucleus Colony Honeybees
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Summary:	Waves of highly infectious viruses sweeping through global honey bee populations have contributed to recent declines in honey bee health. Bees have been observed foraging on mushroom mycelium, suggesting that they may be deriving medicinal or nutritional value from fungi. Fungi are known to produce a wide array of chemicals with antimicrobial activity, including compounds active against bacteria, other fungi, or viruses. We tested extracts from the mycelium of multiple polypore fungal species known to have antiviral properties. Extracts from amadou ( Fomes ) and reishi ( Ganoderma ) fungi reduced the levels of honey bee deformed wing virus (DWV) and Lake Sinai virus (LSV) in a dose-dependent manner. In field trials, colonies fed Ganoderma resinaceum extract exhibited a 79-fold reduction in DWV and a 45,000-fold reduction in LSV compared to control colonies. These findings indicate honey bees may gain health benefits from fungi and their antimicrobial compounds.
ISSN:	2045-2322 2045-2322
DOI:	10.1038/s41598-018-32194-8