Ants medicate to fight disease
Nick Bos1,2, Liselotte Sundström3,4, Siiri Fuchs3,4
1Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, University of Helsinki, Finland. nick.bos@helsinki.fi.
Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|August 19, 2015
Summary
Ants engage in self-medication by consuming harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS) when infected by fungi. This behavior, though costly to healthy ants, boosts survival against fungal pathogens.
Area of Science:
- Animal behavior
- Chemical ecology
- Insect pathology
Background:
- Parasitic infections pose significant threats to animal survival.
- Self-medication, the consumption of bioactive compounds to combat disease, is observed across species.
- Understanding disease defense mechanisms in social insects is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if ants exhibit self-medication behavior in response to fungal pathogens.
- To determine the specific compounds ants consume for disease defense.
- To assess the fitness costs and benefits of this behavior.
Main Methods:
- Experimental exposure of ants to a fungal pathogen.
- Monitoring of ant feeding behavior and consumption of specific substances.
- Assessing survival rates of infected versus uninfected ants under different dietary conditions.
Main Results:
- Ants selectively consumed reactive oxygen species (ROS) when exposed to a fungal pathogen.
- This increased ROS intake, harmful to healthy ants, enhanced survival in infected ants.
- Consumption of ROS carried a fitness cost for uninfected ants, ruling out compensatory diet choice.
Conclusions:
- Social insects, specifically ants, demonstrate self-medication against fungal infections.
- Ants utilize a substance (ROS) that imposes a fitness cost on uninfected individuals for disease defense.
- This study provides novel evidence for targeted self-medication in social insects.
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