Modulation of social interactions by immune stimulation in honey bee, Apis mellifera, workers.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Immune response pathways have been relatively well-conserved across animal species, with similar systems in both mammals and invertebrates. Interestingly, honey bees have substantially reduced numbers of genes associated with immune function compared with solitary insect species. However, social species such as honey bees provide an excellent environment for pathogen or parasite transmission with controlled environmental conditions in the hive, high population densities, and frequent interactions. This suggests that honey bees may have developed complementary mechanisms, such as behavioral modifications, to deal with disease.

Results

Here, we demonstrate that activation of the immune system in honey bees (using bacterial lipopolysaccharides as a non-replicative pa

SUBMITTER: Richard FJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2596086 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature