Isolation and identification of lactic acid bacteria from the intestinal tracts of honey bees, Apis mellifera L., in Egypt

The objective of this study was enumeration and identification of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from honey bee (Apis mellifera L) and testing their antibacterial activity against different types of bacteria. Dilution method and cultivation in selective media were used for enumeration of LAB, the isolates were identified by their morphological and biochemical characteristics and by genotype method. The antibacterial activity was performed using the agar well diffusion method. The results showed that five isolates of LAB were isolated from Egyptian honey bees intestinal tract. The isolates were identified as Enterococcus faecalis MG890204, Enterococcus faecalis KX073783, Enterococcus faecalis EU594564, Lactobacillus brevis MH191230 and Lactobacillus casei KT273339. The results of antibacterial activity showed that four of LABs had antibacterial activity against clinical pathogenic strains tested. The mechanisms of action are partly shown by elucidating the production of some active compounds like organic acids in different amounts, Lactic, Oxalic, Glutaric, and acetic acids were produced by all LABs. The findings revealed that honey bee has the potential to be a source of new bacteria with probiotic activities in honey bee or as natural food preservatives for the food industry.