Fuente: PubMed "honey" J Innate Immun. 2026 Jan 8:1-28. doi: 10.1159/000550255. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTINTRODUCTION: Hemocytes are central to honey bee (Apis mellifera) immunity, but the roles of their subtypes under combined stressors are unclear. We tested the effects of temperature and bacterial challenge on hemocyte abundance and, for the first time in honey bees, used clodronate liposomes (CLD) to selectively deplete hemocytes.METHODS: Five-day-old (Nurses) and fifteen-day-old (Foragers) honey bees were treated with CLD, control liposomes, PBS, or left untreated, then exposed at either 32°C or 22°C and challenged with Escherichia coli, or Staphylococcus aureus. Survival, hemolymph volume, total hemocyte counts, and differential hemocyte counts were monitored over seven days.RESULTS: The CLD application demonstrated significant reductions in granulocyte and prohemocyte populations, indicating the highest vulnerability. A temperature drop to 22ºC buffered the negative impact on survival of CLD-induced immunosuppression. While bacterial challenges universally reduced hemocyte counts, we found a fundamental age-dependent difference where nurses maintained significantly higher baseline total hemocyte counts than foragers. Furthermore, temperature did not affect overall total hemocyte counts in 5-day-old nurse bees, but in 15-day-old foragers, it significantly modulated the hemocyte response to bacterial infection.CONCLUSION: Hemocyte function is subtype-specific, shaped by temperature and age, with foragers showing greater vulnerability. Clodronate liposomes provide a new tool to dissect honey bee immune-environment interactions.PMID:41505358 | DOI:10.1159/000550255