Antibiotics induce transgenerational dysbiosis in the honey bee gut microbiome

Microbiomes can enhance the health, fitness and even evolutionary potential of their hosts. However, evolved inter-dependencies between hosts and their microbiomes are vulnerable to disturbances. Here, we experimentally transferred microbiomes from one honey bee worker generation to the next under antibiotic stress. This dietary stress led to a dysbiosis of the bee microbiome. In a final cycle naive bees with these pre-exposed microbiomes but never receiving antibiotics themselves showed increased mortality under high stress as well as changes in gene expression. This demonstrates inheritable effects of the disturbed microbiome onto host phenotypes.