Identification of Enterococcus bacteria in gastrointestinal tract of dwarf honey bee, Apis florea Fabricius, 1973 (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Apis species that engage in symbiotic association with Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB), have diverse functions on their hosts. This study was intended to isolate and identify aeoccus bacteria living in the gastrointestinal tract of Asian dwarf honey bee, Apis florea,in Iran. One hundred isolates were Gram-stained and tested for catalase reaction. By using bacterial universal primers, the 16S rDNA gene of bacterial colonies was amplified. 16S rDNA genes from thirty bacteria were sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Enterococcus flora in the gastrointestinal tract of A. florea, contained five phenotypes which classified in the species E. faecium, E. faecalis and E. hirae. Based on the specific association between bacteria and A. florea, we divided the Asian dwarf honey bee populations into four categories.