Bees Found to Vaccinate their Offsprings

Ever since the pandemic started, we have heard of vaccines more than ever. From its making to its application. But what we probably don’t know about is how animals protect themselves from the virus. While most animals have a strong immune system to defend against such diseases, bees in contrast have poor immunity.To counter this, bees adopted a technique that vaccinates their young ones. In a bee colony, the queen rarely leaves the nest. So, the worker bees have to provide food for her. These bees also pick up pathogens available in the environment while gathering water and nectar. Back in the hive, they use their gatherings to create ‘Royal Jelly’ for the queen that also contains bacteria/viruses.After consuming the pathogens in the jelly the digested material is transferred to the body cavity, there it is stored in the queen’s ‘fat body’ an organ similar to a liver. Pieces of the bacteria are then converted to vitellogenin (protein) and carried via the blood to the developing eggs. This phenomenon ensures that the bee babies are ‘vaccinated’ and their immune systems are better prepared for fighting diseases.Vitellogenin is the carrier of these immune-priming signals, something researchers did not know until now. This discovery could have far-reaching benefits for other species, as well as substantial, positive impacts on food production. All egg-laying species including fish, poultry, reptiles, amphibians and insects have vitellogenin in their bodies.The food industry could implement the use of natural vaccines which would not only be inexpensive to produce, but would especially come in handy for developing countries.