Neonicotinoid-induced signature dysbiosis identified via metagenomic sequencing of the honey bee gut microbiome

The Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) plays an essential role in agriculture around the world. In Canada, honey bees contribute up to $7 billion in economic value annually by pollinating crops and producing honey. However, since 2006–2007 North American beekeepers have lost more than a quarter of their colonies each winter. In recent years, the losses have been up to 50% in some regions. The causes of losses are complex, including the interacting effects of nutrition, pathogens, and pesticides. Although the bee gut microbiome plays a crucial role in colony health and disease, studies on the effects of agricultural pesticides on the bee microbial community are sparse. We report the use of shotgun metagenomic sequencing to investigate bee gut microbiota changes, or dysbiosis, in response to two neonicotinoid insecticides, clothianidin and thiamethoxam. Common dysbiosis signatures included an increase in Bifidobacterium spp. after chronic sublethal exposure and an increase in Apibacter adventoris after short-term acute exposure. Other dysbiosis signatures were unique to each compound, such as an increase in Snodgrassella alvi for clothianidin and a decrease in Lactobacillus spp. for thiamethoxam. These findings enhance our understanding of how the honey bee gut microbiome responds to stressors and highlight identifiable microbial profile signatures which underscores the potential utility of gut microbiome profiling as a bee health diagnostic tool. Access to timely and accurate bee health diagnosis will inform regulatory actions to decrease and mitigate exposure to stressors and will facilitate managing and improving bee health.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Scientific Reports
Published
2025-12-13
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-30907-4
Primary Topic
Insect and Pesticide Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Neonicotinoid-induced signature dysbiosis identified via metagenomic sequencing of the honey bee gut microbiome

Rodrigo Ortega Polo, Amanda Gregoris, Hosna Jabbari, Amro Zayed et al.
Scientific Reports
Insect and Pesticide Research
article

Neonicotinoid-induced signature dysbiosis identified via metagenomic sequencing of the honey bee gut microbiome

Rodrigo Ortega Polo, Amanda Gregoris, Hosna Jabbari, Amro Zayed, Nuria Morfín, Miriam Bixby, Álvaro De la Mora, R. William Currie, Morgan Cunningham, Lan Tran, Leonard J. Foster, Shelley E. Hoover, Louise Muntz, Lance Lansing, D. Trépanier-Leroux, M. Marta Guarna, Stephen F. Pernal, Ida M. Conflitti, Tara Newman, Mateus Pepinelli, Pierre Giovenazzo, Ernesto Guzmán‐Novoa, Linzhi Wu, Jonathan K. Ho, Shefali Vishwakarma, Thomas B Deckers
article en

Abstract

The Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) plays an essential role in agriculture around the world. In Canada, honey bees contribute up to $7 billion in economic value annually by pollinating crops and producing honey. However, since 2006–2007 North American beekeepers have lost more than a quarter of their colonies each winter. In recent years, the losses have been up to 50% in some regions. The causes of losses are complex, including the interacting effects of nutrition, pathogens, and pesticides. Although the bee gut microbiome plays a crucial role in colony health and disease, studies on the effects of agricultural pesticides on the bee microbial community are sparse. We report the use of shotgun metagenomic sequencing to investigate bee gut microbiota changes, or dysbiosis, in response to two neonicotinoid insecticides, clothianidin and thiamethoxam. Common dysbiosis signatures included an increase in Bifidobacterium spp. after chronic sublethal exposure and an increase in Apibacter adventoris after short-term acute exposure. Other dysbiosis signatures were unique to each compound, such as an increase in Snodgrassella alvi for clothianidin and a decrease in Lactobacillus spp. for thiamethoxam. These findings enhance our understanding of how the honey bee gut microbiome responds to stressors and highlight identifiable microbial profile signatures which underscores the potential utility of gut microbiome profiling as a bee health diagnostic tool. Access to timely and accurate bee health diagnosis will inform regulatory actions to decrease and mitigate exposure to stressors and will facilitate managing and improving bee health.

Scientific ReportsVol. 16(1)
University of Lethbridge (CA), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (CA), University of British Columbia (CA), University of Alberta (CA), York University (CA), University of Victoria (CA), FamilySearch (US), Université Laval (CA), University of Manitoba (CA), Laurentian University (CA), University of Guelph (CA)
Genome Canada, Génome Québec, Government of Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Openalex Percentile: Top 64%
Insect and Pesticide Research
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.