The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has granted a conditional license for a vaccine that helps protect honeybees from a deadly bacterial disease, U.S. biotech firm Dalan Animal Health announced Wednesday.
Why it matters: Dalan has developed the world’s first vaccine for honeybees in an effort to stop the spread of American foulbrood disease, caused by Paenibacillus larvae bacterium, which can weaken and destroy hives, per the Guardian.
- The U.S. and other countries have seen declines in bee colonies, which play a vital role in agriculture.
Zoom in: “One-third of the global food supply relies on pollination, and healthy commercial hives are essential to secure high crop yields,” Dalan noted in a statement.