Investigation of gut microbial communities associated with indigenous honey bee (Apis mellifera jemenitica) from two different eco-regions of Saudi Arabia

The microbial communities associated with the alimentary tract of honey bees are very important as they help with food digestion, provide essential nutrients, protect the host from pathogens, detoxify harmful molecules, and increase host immunity. In this study, the structural diversity of the gut microbial communities of native honey bees, Apis mellifera jemenitica from two different geographical regions (Riyadh and Al-Baha) of Saudi Arabia was analyzed by culture-dependent methods and 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing. In this study, 100 bacterial isolates were cultivated and phylogenetic analyses grouped them into three phyla: Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria. Bacteria in the phylum Proteobacteria were the most dominant (17 species), followed by Firmicutes (13 species) and Actinobacteria (4 species). Some of the identified bacteria (Citrobacter sp., Providencia vermicola, Exiguobacterium acetylicum, and Planomicrobium okeanokoites) were reported for the first time in the genus Apis, while others identified bacteria belonged to the genera Proteus, Enterobacter, Bacillus, Morganella, Lactobacillus, and Fructobacillus. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on the gut microbiota of the local honey bees in Saudi Arabia.