Antibacterial Activity of Honey Bee Venom against Multidrug-resistant S. aureus and E. coli Isolated from Bovine Mastitis

Bee venom (BV) consists of various bio-actives, including proteins, peptides, enzymes, and volatile metabolites. Over the last decade, the antimicrobial effect of BV against bacterial pathogens has been demonstrated through various in vitro and in vivo experiments. Because mastitis has a serious impact on the dairy industry, the present study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial activity of BV against multidrug-resistant S. aureus and E. coli, which are difficult to treat using antibiotics. In this study, 25 E. coli and 15 S. aureus strains from bovine mastitis were used for BV MIC testing. Based on the antibiotic resistance pattern, all isolates were categorized into three groups: susceptible, resistant, and multidrug-resistant. BV MICs for the E. coli and S. aureus isolates ranged from 16 -128 μg/mL and 16-32 μg/mL, respectively. There were no significant differences between the antibiotic resistance and BV MICs of the isolates. However, two multidrug resistance (AMP-CEF-OXA-PEN) S. aureus isolates showed 2-fold higher BV MIC values than the other S. aureus isolates. Therefore, BV can be used as an adjunct treatment for mastitis caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Further studies are needed to understand the resistance mechanisms of multidrug-resistant bacteria, and in vivo studies are required to evaluate the efficacy and safety of BV.