The use of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) as biological monitors for pathogenic bacteria and antimicrobial resistance: A systematic review

The phenomenon of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an increasingly real and relevant health problem. It is essential to verify the spread of this phenomenon in the environment. The European honey bee, Apis mellifera L., is a globally managed pollinator continuously used for biomonitoring thanks to its morphological and behavioural characteristics. During their foraging activities, a large number of honey bees move in the area surrounding the hive within a 1.5 km of radius. Besides, their body covered with hair and bristles are able to intercept pollen and minute particles, such as atmospheric particles, contaminants and microorganisms. For these reasons, A. mellifera L. is widely used as an environmental sentinel, especially for detecting pollutants, pesticides, microorganisms, and AMR. This systematic review aimed to collect and summarize the role of honey bee colonies as a biological monitor of AMR pathogenic bacteria and the environmental spread of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). From honey bees were isolated a wide range of pathogenic and environmental bacteria strains, harbouring AMR and ARGs. However, AMR and ARGs were detected not only in environmental bacteria but also in symbiotic bacteria colonizing the bee gut. This systematic review highlights the employment of potential use of honey bees as AMR sentinel helpful for ecosystem health to implement possible control measures for humans, animals and plants, in the context of the “One-Health” approach.