Ants ahead of humans in antibiotic use Posted by Xeno on August
26, 2010 Research led by Dr Matt Hutchings and published today
in the journal BMC Biology shows that ants use the antibiotics
to inhibit the growth of unwanted fungi and bacteria in their
fungus cultures which they use to feed their larvae and queen.
These antibiotics are produced by actinomycete bacteria that
live on the ants in a mutual symbiosis. Although these ants have
been studied for more than 100 years this is the first
demonstration that a single ant colony uses multiple antibiotics
and is reminiscent of the use of multidrug therapy to treat
infections in humans. The work, which was funded by the UK
Medical Research Council, has also identified a new antibiotic
that could be used to treat fungal infections. Fungiculture in
the insect world is practiced by ants, termites, beetles and
gall midges. Dr Hutchings’ research investigates the Acromyrmex
octospinosus leaf cutter ant, endemic in South and Central
America and the southern US. These