Diana Pimentel Betancurt

Postdoctoral Researcher in Honey Bee Microbiota

Research Interests

My research interests involves a diverse range of topics related to bee health, with a primary focus on the gut microbiota and in vitro testing using bee larvae. My multidisciplinary background spans beekeeping, microbiology, molecular biology and phytochemical studies.
My current focus lies in the search for bacteria within the honey bee gut that exhibit tolerance to pesticides, with the ultimate aim of applying this knowledge to the development of probiotic solutions for bee health.

ProApis project: “Probiotics to mitigate the effect of pesticides on Apis mellifera bees” https://proapisproject.wixsite.com/proapis

PhD in Biological Sciences. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto, Argentina. 2021.
MSc in Biotechnology. Universidad Nacional de Rio Cuarto, Argentina. 2023.
B.Sc. in Chemistry, Universidad del Quindío, Colombia. 2012.

M. F. Paletti Rovey; D. C. Pimentel Betancurt; M.De La P. Moline; M. De Las M. Oliva. (2022). Effect of the hexanic extract of Achyrocline satureioides on Paenibacillus larvae growth, pathogen of Apis mellifera. Ab Intus; 33 – 49.
Tonello, N.; Pimentel Betancurt, D.; Huallpa, C.L.; et al. (2022). Fractionation of hexane extracts from Achyrocline satureioides and their biological activities against Paenibacillus larvae. Braz J Microbiol 53: 1645–1655. Doi: 10.1007/s42770-022-00736-y
Pimentel-Betancurt DC, Tonello NV, Padilla-Alvarez F, Paletti-Rovey MF, Oliva MM,Marioli JM. (2021). Oral and contact toxicity of the extract obtained with hexane from Achyrocline satureioides on larvae and adult honey bees. Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research, 19(3): e0504. Doi: 10.5424/sjar/2021193-16302
Pimentel Betancurt DC, Padilla Sanabria L, Castaño Osorio JC, Duque Cifuentes AL. (2018). Extraction of colorants from Curcuma longa L. rhizomes by oil solubilization. Cuban Journal of Medicinal Plants, 23(3).
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6397-2497