PREVIEW

A species of African ant has a claim to have the world’s smallest healthcare system as they have developed their own sophisticated way of treating infected wounds.
Matabele ants (Megaponera analis) are widespread south of the Sahara and only eat termites. Their preferred cuisine comes with a risk however, as hunting expeditions are dangerous. Termite soldiers often inflict wounds on the ants with their powerful mandibles.
If the wounds become infected, there is a significant survival risk. However, Matabele ants have developed a sophisticated healthcare system to deal with this.
The tiny critters can distinguish between non-infected and infected wounds and treat the latter efficiently with antibiotics they produce themselves.
This is reported by a team led by Dr Erik Frank from Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg and Professor Laurent Keller from the University of Lausanne in the journal Nature Communications.
"Chemical analyses in cooperation with JMU Professor Thomas Schmitt have shown that the hydrocarbon profile of the ant cuticle changes as a result of a wound infection," says Dr. Frank. “It is precisely this change that the ants are able to recognise and thus diagnose the infection status of injured nestmates.”
For treatment, the medically trained insects then apply antimicrobial compounds and proteins to the infected wounds. They take these antibiotics from the metapleural gland, which is located on the side of their thorax. Its secretion contains 112 components, half of which have an antimicrobial or wound-healing effect. And the therapy is highly effective: the mortality rate of infected individuals is reduced by 90 per cent, as the research group discovered.
"With the exception of humans, I know of no other living creature that can carry out such sophisticated medical wound treatments," says Dr. Frank.
Professor Keller adds that these findings could pave the way for medical advances in treating humans as the infections they treat are caused by the same pathogens as human infections.
“The primary pathogen in ant’s wounds, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is also a leading cause of infection in humans, with several strains being resistant to antibiotics,” he adds.
The next step in the scientists research is to discover if this ‘Ant-HS’ healthcare system is unique or if other ant species and other social animals display similar behaviour.
The team also want to identify and analyse the antibiotics used by Matabele ants in cooperation with chemistry research groups. This may lead to the discovery of new antibiotics that could also be used in humans.