Antibacterial activity of bryophyte species against Paenibacillus larvae isolates

Abstract

This study was performed to determine the antibacterial activity of methanol extracts of 23 bryophyte species against Paenibacillus larvae isolates that cause American foulbrood diseases in honeybee larvae. The honey and larva samples were collected from nine different locations of Rize in Turkey. A total of 22 gram-positive spore-forming bacteria were isolated from the larva and honey samples. According to the results of morphological, biochemical, and molecular (16S rRNA gene sequencing) tests, 10 isolates of the 22 gram-positive spore-forming bacteria were identified as P. larvae. A total of 10 bryophyte species (Polytrichum formasum, Polytrichum commune, Calliergonella cuspitada, Calliergonella lindbergi, Metzgeria conjugata, Isothecium alopecuroides, Syntrichia calcicola, Syntrichia intermedia, Tortella densa, and Grimmia alpestris) among 23 bryophytes showed good antimicrobial activity against P. larvae isolates according the results of agar-well diffusion method and minimal inhibition concentration experiments.