First Report on Antifungal Activity of <i>Metschnikowia pulcherrima</i> Against <i>Ascosphaera apis,</i> the Causative Agent of Chalkbrood Disease in Honeybee (<i>Apis mellifera</i> L.) Colonies
Chalkbrood is the manifestation of the fungal disease caused by <i>Ascosphaera apis</i>, which affects broods of developing honeybees, particularly in <i>Apis mellifera</i> colonies. Recently, <i>Metschnikowia pulcherrima</i> has been proposed as a biocontrol agen...
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2025-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Fungi |
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| author | Massimo Iorizzo Francesca Coppola Gianfranco Pannella Sonia Ganassi Cristina Matarazzo Gianluca Albanese Cosimo Tedino Licia Maria Di Donato Vincenzo Pio Iacovino Rosaria Cozzolino Antonio De Cristofaro |
| author_facet | Massimo Iorizzo Francesca Coppola Gianfranco Pannella Sonia Ganassi Cristina Matarazzo Gianluca Albanese Cosimo Tedino Licia Maria Di Donato Vincenzo Pio Iacovino Rosaria Cozzolino Antonio De Cristofaro |
| author_sort | Massimo Iorizzo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Chalkbrood is the manifestation of the fungal disease caused by <i>Ascosphaera apis</i>, which affects broods of developing honeybees, particularly in <i>Apis mellifera</i> colonies. Recently, <i>Metschnikowia pulcherrima</i> has been proposed as a biocontrol agent in winemaking and for the management of major postharvest and soil-borne plant pathogenic fungi. In this study, the antagonistic activity of three <i>M. pulcherrima</i> strains against fifteen <i>A. apis</i> strains, isolated from contaminated hives of <i>A. mellifera</i>, was evaluated, with a specific focus on the potential antifungal activity of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The study revealed that <i>M. pulcherrima</i> was effective against <i>A. apis</i> and that the antifungal activity was related to various mechanisms including competition for nutrients, secretion of pulcherriminic acid, and biosynthesis of specific antifungal VOCs. We also found that each <i>M. pulcherrima</i> strain produced a unique combination of VOCs, and the antifungal activity was strain-dependent and varied depending on the specific yeast-mold combination. In addition, preliminary analyses showed that a temperature of 30 °C and a higher amount of glucose (40 g/L) in the growing medium promote the growth of <i>A. apis</i>. These results could be useful for designing new strategies for the biocontrol of chalkbrood disease in honeybee colonies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-fe134fd91f174624a24ee7f95caf4434 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2309-608X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Fungi |
| spelling | doaj-art-fe134fd91f174624a24ee7f95caf44342025-08-20T03:14:39ZengMDPI AGJournal of Fungi2309-608X2025-04-0111533610.3390/jof11050336First Report on Antifungal Activity of <i>Metschnikowia pulcherrima</i> Against <i>Ascosphaera apis,</i> the Causative Agent of Chalkbrood Disease in Honeybee (<i>Apis mellifera</i> L.) ColoniesMassimo Iorizzo0Francesca Coppola1Gianfranco Pannella2Sonia Ganassi3Cristina Matarazzo4Gianluca Albanese5Cosimo Tedino6Licia Maria Di Donato7Vincenzo Pio Iacovino8Rosaria Cozzolino9Antonio De Cristofaro10Department of Agriculture, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80055 Portici, ItalyDepartment of Science and Technology for Sustainable Development and One Health, University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, 00128 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, ItalyInstitute of Food Science, National Council of Research (ISA-CNR), 83100 Avellino, ItalyDepartment of Agriculture, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, ItalyChalkbrood is the manifestation of the fungal disease caused by <i>Ascosphaera apis</i>, which affects broods of developing honeybees, particularly in <i>Apis mellifera</i> colonies. Recently, <i>Metschnikowia pulcherrima</i> has been proposed as a biocontrol agent in winemaking and for the management of major postharvest and soil-borne plant pathogenic fungi. In this study, the antagonistic activity of three <i>M. pulcherrima</i> strains against fifteen <i>A. apis</i> strains, isolated from contaminated hives of <i>A. mellifera</i>, was evaluated, with a specific focus on the potential antifungal activity of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The study revealed that <i>M. pulcherrima</i> was effective against <i>A. apis</i> and that the antifungal activity was related to various mechanisms including competition for nutrients, secretion of pulcherriminic acid, and biosynthesis of specific antifungal VOCs. We also found that each <i>M. pulcherrima</i> strain produced a unique combination of VOCs, and the antifungal activity was strain-dependent and varied depending on the specific yeast-mold combination. In addition, preliminary analyses showed that a temperature of 30 °C and a higher amount of glucose (40 g/L) in the growing medium promote the growth of <i>A. apis</i>. These results could be useful for designing new strategies for the biocontrol of chalkbrood disease in honeybee colonies.https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/11/5/336chalkbrood<i>Apis mellifera</i><i>Ascosphaera apis</i>Metschnikowia pulcherrimavolatile organic compounds (VOCs)biocontrol |
| spellingShingle | Massimo Iorizzo Francesca Coppola Gianfranco Pannella Sonia Ganassi Cristina Matarazzo Gianluca Albanese Cosimo Tedino Licia Maria Di Donato Vincenzo Pio Iacovino Rosaria Cozzolino Antonio De Cristofaro First Report on Antifungal Activity of <i>Metschnikowia pulcherrima</i> Against <i>Ascosphaera apis,</i> the Causative Agent of Chalkbrood Disease in Honeybee (<i>Apis mellifera</i> L.) Colonies Journal of Fungi chalkbrood <i>Apis mellifera</i> <i>Ascosphaera apis</i> Metschnikowia pulcherrima volatile organic compounds (VOCs) biocontrol |
| title | First Report on Antifungal Activity of <i>Metschnikowia pulcherrima</i> Against <i>Ascosphaera apis,</i> the Causative Agent of Chalkbrood Disease in Honeybee (<i>Apis mellifera</i> L.) Colonies |
| title_full | First Report on Antifungal Activity of <i>Metschnikowia pulcherrima</i> Against <i>Ascosphaera apis,</i> the Causative Agent of Chalkbrood Disease in Honeybee (<i>Apis mellifera</i> L.) Colonies |
| title_fullStr | First Report on Antifungal Activity of <i>Metschnikowia pulcherrima</i> Against <i>Ascosphaera apis,</i> the Causative Agent of Chalkbrood Disease in Honeybee (<i>Apis mellifera</i> L.) Colonies |
| title_full_unstemmed | First Report on Antifungal Activity of <i>Metschnikowia pulcherrima</i> Against <i>Ascosphaera apis,</i> the Causative Agent of Chalkbrood Disease in Honeybee (<i>Apis mellifera</i> L.) Colonies |
| title_short | First Report on Antifungal Activity of <i>Metschnikowia pulcherrima</i> Against <i>Ascosphaera apis,</i> the Causative Agent of Chalkbrood Disease in Honeybee (<i>Apis mellifera</i> L.) Colonies |
| title_sort | first report on antifungal activity of i metschnikowia pulcherrima i against i ascosphaera apis i the causative agent of chalkbrood disease in honeybee i apis mellifera i l colonies |
| topic | chalkbrood <i>Apis mellifera</i> <i>Ascosphaera apis</i> Metschnikowia pulcherrima volatile organic compounds (VOCs) biocontrol |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/11/5/336 |
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