title: Alarm Odor Compounds of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Exhibit Antibacterial Activity.
abstract: Some insects release scented compounds as a defense against predators that also exhibit antimicrobial activity. Trans-2-octenal and trans-2-decenal are the major alarm aldehydes responsible for the scent ofHalyomorpha halys, the brown marmorated stink bug. Previous research has shown these aldehydes are antifungal and produce an antipredatory effect, but have never been tested for antibacterial activity. We hypothesized that these compounds functioned similarly to the analogous multifunctional action of earwig compounds, so we tested whether these aldehydes could inhibit the growth of bacteria. Disk diffusion assays indicated that these aldehydes significantly inhibited the growth of Methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus,Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, in vitro. Moreover, mealworm beetles (Tenebrio molitor) coated in stink bug aldehydes showed a substantial reduction in bacterial colonization compared to vehicle-treated insects. These results suggest that brown marmorated stinkbug aldehydes are indeed antibacterial agents and serve a multifunctional role for this insect. Therefore, stinkbug aldehydes may have potential for use as chemical antimicrobials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, West Liberty University, USA.
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sagun
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, West Liberty University, USA.
authors.forename: Elliot
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, West Liberty University, USA.
authors.forename: Caleb
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, West Liberty University, USA.
authors.forename: E Joseph
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Nolan
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, West Liberty University, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Horzempa
keywords: Anti-bacterial; Anti-microbial; Brown marmorated stink bug; Halyomorpha halys; Trans-2-decenal; Trans-2-octenal