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Cryptococcus neoformans carried by Odontomachus bauri ants.

Mariana Santos de Jesus¹, William Costa Rodrigues, Glaucia Barbosa

¹Programa de Pós-Graduação em Recursos Genéticos Vegetais, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana, BA, Brazil.

Memorias Do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz

|June 6, 2012

Summary

Trap-jaw ants (Odontomachus bauri) were found to carry Cryptococcus neoformans in a hollow tree in Brazil. These ants may act as vectors, dispersing the fungus between environments.

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Biolistic Transformation of a Fluorescent Tagged Gene into the Opportunistic Fungal Pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans

Biolistic Transformation of a Fluorescent Tagged Gene into the Opportunistic Fungal Pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans

Published on: March 19, 2015

Area of Science:

Medical Mycology
Environmental Microbiology
Entomology

Background:

Cryptococcus neoformans is a significant global fungal pathogen causing cryptococcosis.
Hollow trees are recognized as potential natural habitats for C. neoformans.
Previous research identified C. neoformans in a pink shower tree hollow in Rio de Janeiro.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of Odontomachus bauri ants as potential carriers of C. neoformans.
To determine if ants inhabiting C. neoformans-positive environments harbor the fungus.
To explore the potential of ants in the dispersal of C. neoformans.

Main Methods:

Collection of Odontomachus bauri ants from a C. neoformans-positive hollow tree.
Isolation and identification of fungal colonies from collected ants.
Molecular typing of identified C. neoformans isolates (VNI and VNII).

Main Results:

Two out of ten Odontomachus bauri ants carried phenoloxidase-positive colonies.
The isolated colonies were identified as Cryptococcus neoformans, specifically molecular types VNI and VNII.
This study provides the first report of C. neoformans association with Odontomachus ants.

Conclusions:

Odontomachus bauri ants can harbor and potentially act as mechanical vectors for Cryptococcus neoformans.
Ants may contribute to the environmental dispersal of C. neoformans between different substrates.
Further research is warranted to fully elucidate the role of ants in fungal ecology and disease transmission.