# Impacts of Diverse Natural Products on Honey Bee Viral Loads and Health
## 4 Discussion
Alternatively, a higher abundance of _Gilliamella_ could also infer potential negative aspects, as bees reported as having high amounts of this taxon (i.e., in honey bees, after feeding them with _Snodgrassella_, resulting in an increase in _Gilliamella_) also have higher levels of infection with the gut parasitic trypanosome, _L. passin_[2]. When beta-carotene, a bioactive carotenoid with potent antioxidant activity [56], was supplemented to honey bees, levels of _S. alvi_, another core member of the honey bee gut microbial community, were significantly decreased (\(p=0.0311\)). \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c} \hline \hline
**Compound** & **Honey Bee Immune Gene** & **Virus/Microbe** \\ \hline  & Abacen NS (\(p=0.3702\)) & \\  & Hypempotecan NS (\(p=0.8662\)) & \\  & Apidaeen NS (\(p=0.8347\)) & \\  & PGRP-LC NS (\(p=0.1352\)) & \\  & Vielleogenin NS (\(p=0.1391\)) & \\  & Eater NS (\(p=0.5425\)) & DWV NS (\(p=0.6862\)) \\ Beta-carotene & MRPI N (\(p=0.7023\)) & VDV NS (\(p=0.6531\)) \\
2000 ppm & CytochromeP450 NS (\(p=0.1735\)) & _S. alvi_flower (mean control = \(2.6885\ast-0.5713\) (SE) \(n=10\); \\  & Defensin1 NS (\(p=0.8176\)) & mean beta-carotene = \(0.4533\ast-0.7376\) (SE), \(n=6\), (\(p=0.0311\)) \\  & Endochitinase NS (\(p=0.5428\)) & \\  & Glucosidase NS (\(p=0.6669\)) & \\  & Thehalase NS (\(p=0.2995\)) & \\  & Peritrophin NS (\(p=0.5006\)) & \\ \hline  & Cacoa (raw) & \\  & 100 ppm & DVV increased (B control vs. A cacao raw, \(p=0.0307\)) \\ \hline  & & VDV decrease (A control vs. B cacao raw, \(p=0.0013\)) \\ \hline  & Cacoa (roasted) & \\  & 100 ppm & DWV NS (B control vs. AB cacao roasted, \(p=0.7970\)) \\ \hline  & Eater NS (\(p=0.3931\)) & \\  & Hymenoptera lower & \\
100 ppm & (A control vs. AB Carvacrol \(p=0.1797\)) & DWV NS (\(p=0.8588\)) \\  & Vitellogenin NS (\(p=0.9502\)) & \\ \hline  & Car’s Claw Jill2 & \\
1000 ppm & & DWV NS (\(p=0.5532\)) \\ \hline  & & DWV NS (\(p=0.9571\)) \\  & Eater lower (AB control vs. A Chrysin, \(p=0.2149\)) & DVV NS (\(p=0.1276\)) \\  & Hymenoptera NS (\(p=0.5896\)) & VDV lower (A control vs. AB chrysin \(p=0.1592\)) \\  & Vitellogenin NS (\(p=0.9854\)) & _Gilliamella_ lower (A control vs. AB chrysin \(p=0.6296\)) \\ \hline  & Eater NS, \(p=0.8382\) & \\  & & DWV NS, \(p=0.8911\) \\
100 ppm & (A control vs. B cinnamic acid, \(p=0.0392\)) & \\  & Vitellogenin NS (\(p=0.1909\)) & \\ \hline  & Eater lower (AB control vs. C curcumin, \(p=0.0086\)) & DWV NS (\(p=0.9001\)) \\  & Trypanosome NS (\(p=0.1776\)) & \\
100 ppm & Hymenoptera NS (\(p=0.9952\)) & VDV lower (A control vs. AB curcumin \(p=0.2573\)) \\  & Vitellogenin NS (\(p=0.7768\)) & _Gilliamella_lower (A control vs. BC curcumin \(p=0.0268\)) \\ \hline  & Eiderberry Jill2 & \\
1000 ppm & & DWV NS (\(p=0.5940\)) \\ \hline  & Eater NS \(p=0.7334\) & \\ Ginger & Hymenoptera lower (A control vs. AB ginger & \\
100 ppm & \(p=0.4487\)) & DWV NS (\(p=0.7434\)) \\  & Vitellogenin NS (\(p=0.2233\)) & \\ \hline  & & Eater NS (\(p=0.2233\)) \\ \hline  & & Eater NS (\(p=0.233\)) \\ \hline  & & Eater NS (\(p=0. Monitoring immune gene expression, along with viruses and microbes, offers additional information. The protein Eater is involved in cellular immunity, Apidaecin and Hymenoptera are antimicrobial peptides involved in humoral immunity [40], and Vitellogenin is a marker of general honey bee health [57]. By measuring the responses of these genes, we could determine the effect of the compounds on the immune response of the honey bee. There is significant downregulation in eater gene expression between some of the treatments and the control in curcumin andtocopherol treatments (\(p=0.0086\) and \(p=0.089\), respectively) with up to a 40-fold reduction in gene expression. Curcumin is a flavonoid from the rhizome of _Curcuma longa_ with well-recognized antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antiviral properties. Curcumin has been linked to a range of health benefits, including potential protection against cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and metabolic disorders in humans [58; 59; 60].