Caffeine Consumption Helps Honey Bees Fight a Bacterial Pathogen

Abstract

plants, and consumption improves learning and memory retention, as well as protects against viruses and fungal parasites. In this study, we expanded these findings by demonstrating that caffeine can improve survival rates of honey bees infected with Serratia marcescens, a bacterial pathogen known to cause sepsis in animals. However, this beneficial effect was only observed when bees were colonized with their native gut microbiota, and caffeine seemed not to directly affect the gut microbiota or survival rates of bees. Our findings suggest a potential synergism between caffeine and gut microbial communities in protection against bacterial pathogens.

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