First Molecular and Metagenomic Investigation of the Italian Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Microbiome
Honey bees (Apis mellifera) play a crucial role in pollination, and the ongoing global decline of colonies poses serious environmental and economic concerns. The honey bee microbiota is essential for metabolism, development, and immune regulation, while alterations in its composition can increase susceptibility to stress and pathogens. Using a Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) approach, this study investigated the symbiotic and pathogenic microorganisms of A. mellifera specimens raised in various Italian regions. Molecular and metagenomic analyses revealed several known and emerging patho-gens, such as fungi, trypanosomatids and viruses, while honey bee microbiota was characterized by a few predominant bacterial genera and by several viral species both previously reported and newly detected in Italy such as Apis rhabdovirus, Bee Macu-la-like virus, and Lake Sinai virus. These findings updated current epidemiological data on Italian honey bees and contribute valuable insights for the identification and sur-veillance of microbial and viral communities affecting A. mellifera.