Seasonal antimicrobial activity of royal jelly from four subspecies of Apis mellifera against gram-negative bacteria and yeast-like fungi Candida albicans

P. Y. VOROBETS

J. 2026, 106(2): 94–100

Experimental medicine

Seasonal antimicrobial activity of royal jelly from four subspecies of Apis mellifera against gram-negative bacteria and yeast-like fungi Candida albicans

P. Y. VOROBETS

Institute of Animal Biology of NAAS, Lviv, Ukraine
E-mail: pvorobets86@gmail.com

Received: 25-08-2026

Accepted: 23-09-2026

Published: 28-09-2026

Abstract

Abstract. This study presents the first comprehensive in vitro screening of the seasonal dynamics of antimicrobial activity exhibited by the royal jelly of four Apis mellifera subspecies against Gram-negative bacteria and Candida albicans fungi. The obtained results substantiate the necessity of considering seasonal factors and the genetic genesis of honeybee breeds to obtain standardized apiproducts with a predictable antimicrobial effect.

Objective. The aim of this work was to identify the seasonal and inter-breed features of the antimicrobial action of royal jelly collected at various intervals from May to July from four honeybee subspecies: the Carpathian bee (A. m. carpatica), the Carniolan bee (A. m. carnica), the Italian bee (A. m. ligustica), and the Ukrainian steppe bee (A. m. sossimai).

Materials and Methods. Royal jelly samples were harvested between May and July from four Apis mellifera subspecies maintained under standardized and isolated apiary conditions. The antimicrobial activity of the secretion was evaluated in vitro using the classical agar well diffusion method in triplicate. Testing was performed against strains of Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and Candida albicans fungi, utilizing norfloxacin and fluconazole as positive controls.

Results. Seasonal and inter-breed dependencies of the royal jelly’s antimicrobial efficacy were established. The peak antibacterial effect was recorded in July for A. m. ligustica and A. m. sossimai subspecies (14.0–15.0 mm), demonstrating summer stability in the activity of Ukrainian steppe bee royal jelly against P. aeruginosa. The antifungal activity exhibited an autonomous character, reaching a stable maximum against C. albicans in June-July for A. m. carnica (14.0 mm).

Conclusions. The antimicrobial activity of royal jelly is clearly determined by seasonality factors and the honeybee subspecies, which justifies the utilization of summer samples of local ecotypes as a natural matrix for the development of topical antimicrobial agents.

Keywords: Apis mellifera, royal jelly, antimicrobial activity, seasonality, Gram-negative bacteria, Candida albicans

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