Laura Fourel

Laura Fourel is a Researcher at Université Clermont Auvergne, affiliated with the Microorganisms, Genome and Environment Laboratory (LMGE) located at 1 Impasse Amélie Murat, 63178 Aubière Cedex, France. Her work is conducted within the Faculty of Science, Department of Microbiology and Environmental Genomics, as part of a collaborative research structure involving Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, and INRAE.

Her research focuses on microbiology and entomology with particular emphasis on honeybee health and antimicrobial strategies. Dr. Fourel investigates probiotic and postbiotic approaches to combat serious honeybee diseases like American and European foulbroods caused by Paenibacillus larvae and Melissococcus plutonius. Her work explores how beneficial bacterial supplements can serve as sustainable alternatives to antibiotics in beekeeping.

Recent research demonstrates her expertise in evaluating both probiotic and postbiotic potential of bacterial strains against foulbrood pathogens. Her studies involve screening lactic acid bacteria for antagonistic activity, characterizing cell-free supernatants, and assessing survival rates in infected honeybee larvae. Notably, her research showed a significant 42.5% increase in larval survival when supplemented with live Lactiplantibacillus plantarum.

Her scientific contributions reflect a strong commitment to developing sustainable approaches for managing honeybee diseases, with implications for agricultural practices and environmental health.