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Publication Number
US-11980660-B2
Publication Date
2024-05-14
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
An edible insect vaccination approach provides an artificial insect diet or edible composition containing microbes for oral immunization against microbial diseases. The composition includes bacteria and fungi components comprising microbial structures such as fragments and/or spores. The vaccine concept is applied by providing the diet to insects so that the diet acts as a vaccine against a target microbial disease.
In honey bees, the approach is linked to honey bee vitellogenin (Vg) binding to microbial components and transporting pathogen-derived molecules and/or elicitors into queen eggs. This supports trans-generational immune priming (TGIP), in which maternal exposure through the artificial insect diet before egg laying enables immune-related protection in offspring. In this framework, the artificial diet functions as a vaccine for preventing microbial infection and disease.
The described vaccine compositions include dead microbes, such as dead Ascosphaera fungus, provided in an artificial insect diet to prevent or mitigate infection outcomes. The patent content includes prevention of Chalkbrood disease and the increase of survival of honey bee larvae upon infection with Ascosphaera fungus by feeding a honey bee queen prior to egg laying an artificial insect diet comprising dead Ascosphaera fungus. The document further includes experimental support showing Vg-dependent binding and uptake of bacterial components into queen eggs, and Vg being required and/or sufficient relative to other hemolymph proteins, alongside disease-relevant survival outcomes after spore challenge.
Claims Coverage
The provided portion includes two independent claims directed to preventing Chalkbrood disease and increasing survival of honey bee larvae upon infection with Ascosphaera fungus via queen feeding with an artificial insect diet comprising dead Ascosphaera fungus. The independent claims involve two core inventive features: queen feeding with a dead-fungus artificial insect diet that acts as a vaccine, and the use of that timing prior to egg laying to affect larval outcomes.
Preventing Chalkbrood disease by queen feeding an artificial diet with dead Ascosphaera fungus
Feeding a honey bee queen with an artificial insect diet comprising dead Ascosphaera fungus, wherein the artificial insect diet acts as a vaccine against Chalkbrood disease in a honey bee or honey bee larvae caused by Ascosphaera fungus.
Increasing larval survival by pre-egg-laying queen feeding with an artificial diet with dead Ascosphaera fungus
Feeding a honey bee queen prior to egg laying an artificial insect diet comprising dead Ascosphaera fungus to increase the survival of a honey bee larvae upon infection with Ascosphaera fungus.
Across the independent claims, the main inventive features center on using a honey bee queen-fed artificial insect diet containing dead Ascosphaera fungus, with the diet acting as a vaccine to prevent Chalkbrood disease and to increase survival of honey bee larvae upon Ascosphaera infection.
Stated Advantages
Prevents Chalkbrood disease in a honey bee or honey bee larvae.
Increases the survival of honey bee larvae upon infection with Ascosphaera fungus.
Documented Applications
Preventing Chalkbrood disease in honey bees or honey bee larvae caused by Ascosphaera fungus by feeding a honey bee queen with an artificial insect diet comprising dead Ascosphaera fungus.
Increasing survival of honey bee larvae upon infection with Ascosphaera fungus by feeding the honey bee queen prior to egg laying an artificial insect diet comprising dead Ascosphaera fungus.
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