Apis mellifera semen: bacterial contamination and susceptibility to antibiotics

Cecilia Andere , Cristina Monteavaro , María Palacio , María Catena , Edgardo Rodríguez , Anita Collins

The aims of this study were to identify the bacterial genera and species present in semen of Apis mellifera and to evaluate the sensitivity of those bacteria to different antibiotics. Mesophilic aerobic and microaerophilic bacteria were characterized in semen samples from different hives, and the number of total viable bacteria per milliliter of semen was determined. Twenty-nine isolates were obtained, and 14 different genera were identified, some of them being monomicrobians and others polymicrobians. Colony-forming units (CFU) were variable from no bacterial development up to 4 × 105 CFU/mL. The most frequent genera were Bacillus and Staphylococcus. All the studied isolates were sensitive to gentamicin and amikacin. Spermatozoa viability in sperm samples diluted in buffer with antibiotic was similar to that of pure semen.

Mots clés: Apis mellifera; semen; bacterial content; antibiotics susceptibility

Domaines: Zoologie des invertébrés; Biodiversité; Ecologie, Environnement; Science des productions animales

Cecilia Andere, Cristina Monteavaro, María Palacio, María Catena, Edgardo Rodríguez, et al.. Apis mellifera semen: bacterial contamination and susceptibility to antibiotics. Apidologie, 2011, 42 (5), pp.551-559. ⟨10.1007/s13592-011-0051-7⟩. ⟨hal-01003586⟩