Investigation of the antibacterial effect of crude venom of Honey bee (Apis mellifera) and its fractions with disk diffusion method

In the world of pharmacology, along with the discovery of new antibiotics, bacteria also gain features that antibiotics are ineffective against, and the issue of bacterial resistance in such a situation arises. Venom of animals have anti-bacterial effects among which, honey bee venom has therapeutic effects including anti-cancer, anti-arthritic and anti-inflammatory effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of crude venom of honey bee and its fractions on bacteria. In this study, the antibacterial activity of honey bee venom (Apis mellifera) and its fractions against five bacterial species including Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhyimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Burkholderia mallei and Burkholderia pseudo mallei was investigated. In this regard, different volumes of crude venom and two fractions which were obtained by gel filtration with standard antibiotic as positive controls by disc-diffusion method were evaluated and the inhibition zone was measured. The results showed that crude venom of honey bee and its fractions have a positive effect on Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium. The inhibition zone around the disc in concentrations of 25, 35 and 45 µl for Escherichia coli was about 7, 10 and 14 mm and for Salmonella typhimurium was about 7, 9 and 12, respectively. This venom and its fractions had no effect on the other tested bacteria. Statistical analysis showed that p-value was less than 0.05. Analysis of the venom volume and the test samples proved that increasing the venom volume leads to a relative increase in anti-bacterial effect.