"Unveiling the Role of Host-Derived Organic Acids in Honey Bee Gut Colonization"
A study on the gut microbiota of honey bees reveals that the symbiotic bacterium Snodgrassella alvi can colonize the bee gut with only sugar in the diet, depleting host, pollen, and Gilliamella-derived metabolites. Host-derived carboxylic acids enable S. alvi colonization, as validated by experiments showing their synthesis by the host and utilization by S. alvi. Isotope labelling experiments and NanoSIMS analysis demonstrate that S. alvi assimilates biomass from host-derived compounds, providing direct evidence of nutrient foraging by the bacterium.