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Publication Number
US-10994001-B2
Publication Date
2021-05-04
Expiration Date
Abstract
The present invention relates to animals and more specifically to insects. In more details the invention relates to an edible composition or insect artificial diet comprising bacteria, fungi or any fragment or spore thereof for use as a vaccine in preventing a microbial disease or infection in an insect. Still, the present invention relates to preventive methods and different uses relating to said compositions or bacteria, fungi or fragments or spores thereof.
Core Innovation
The disclosed invention relates to an edible insect artificial diet vaccine that comprises bacteria, fungi, fragments, or spores, for preventing microbial diseases or infections in insects. The artificial insect diet is described as acting as a vaccine when provided to an insect, including an insect queen such as a honey bee queen and resulting insect larvae such as queen honey bee larvae.
The problem addressed is microbial disease or infection in insects, including honey bee diseases such as American foulbrood infection and related bacterial diseases, as well as fungal diseases. The document describes broad insect and pathogen coverage, including honey bees (Apis mellifera) and silk moths (Bombyx mori), and includes pathogens such as Paenibacillus larvae bacteria for American foulbrood and fungal agents such as Ascosphaera apis and Beauveria bassiana.
Mechanistically, the document states that honey bee vitellogenin (Vg) binds pathogen components and transports bacterial-derived material into queen ovaries and into eggs, which is described in connection with trans-generational immune priming (TGIP). The document also provides experimental support using assays and protein/pathogen detection approaches including surface plasmon resonance, fluorescence microscopy, and Western blotting, to support binding and ovarian uptake.
Formulations and preparation are described in terms of edible insect diet compositions including sugar and royal jelly-inclusive diets, and the microbial components are described as dead, heat-killed, or attenuated microbes, including dead Paenibacillus larvae bacteria. The document further states that the artificial diet can be used as the only vaccine for the prevention of the targeted microbial disease or infection, and it describes administration frequency as one, two, or three times per year.
Claims Coverage
The partial record includes two independent claims. Across these independent claims, the inventive subject matter centers on feeding an insect queen with an artificial insect diet comprising dead Paenibacillus larvae bacteria such that the diet acts as a vaccine to prevent American foulbrood disease or infection and increase the survival of honey bee queen larvae upon infection.
Queen feeding with an artificial insect diet acting as a vaccine
A method of preventing American foulbrood disease or infection in a honey bee or a honey bee larvae caused by Paenibacillus larvae bacteria, wherein the method comprises feeding a honey bee queen with an artificial insect diet comprising dead Paenibacillus larvae bacteria, wherein said artificial insect diet acts as a vaccine against said American foulbrood disease or infection in the honey bee or the honey bee larvae.
Increasing survival by feeding a queen prior to egg laying with a vaccine diet
A method for increasing the survival of an insect larvae upon infection with Paenibacillus larvae bacteria comprising feeding an insect queen prior to egg laying with an artificial insect diet comprising dead Paenibacillus larvae bacteria, wherein the insect queen is a honey bee queen and the insect larvae are the queen's honey bee larvae.
The independent claims require queen feeding with an artificial insect diet comprising dead Paenibacillus larvae bacteria, and the diet functions as a vaccine to prevent American foulbrood disease or infection in honey bees or larvae and to increase the survival of honey bee queen larvae upon infection.
Stated Advantages
Prevents American foulbrood disease or infection in a honey bee or honey bee larvae.
Increases the survival of insect larvae upon infection with Paenibacillus larvae bacteria.
Provides the artificial insect diet as the only vaccine for the claimed prevention.
Documented Applications
Preventing American foulbrood disease or infection in honey bees or honey bee larvae caused by Paenibacillus larvae bacteria by feeding a honey bee queen with an artificial insect diet comprising dead Paenibacillus larvae bacteria.
Increasing survival of queen honey bee larvae upon infection with Paenibacillus larvae bacteria by feeding a honey bee queen prior to egg laying with an artificial insect diet comprising dead Paenibacillus larvae bacteria.
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