A Matabele ant tends to the wound of a fellow ant whose legs were bitten off in a fight with termites. Credit: Erik Frank/University of Wuerzburg
Key points:
- Matabele ants have developed sophisticated wound treatment to prevent infection from termite bites.
- These ants distinguish between non-infected and infected wounds in their nestmates by identifying the hydrocarbon profile and then treating the infection with antibiotic secretions.
- The primary pathogen in ant wounds is a leading cause of infection in humans, meaning an understanding of Matabele ant antibiotic secretions can inform the discovery of antibiotics for humans.
Matabele ants, or Megaponerra analis, feed exclusively on termites, but hunting their prey often results in injuries from the termite’s powerful mandibles. A recent study, published in Nature Communications and featured in Netflix’s documentary “Life on Our Planet,” reveals how these ants have developed a sophisticated healthcare system to prevent wound infection.
Researchers found that Matabele ants can distinguish between non-infected and infected wounds and then treat infection with antibiotics they produce themselves.
“Chemical analyses have shown that the hydrocarbon profile of the ant cuticle changes as a result of a wound infection,” explained study author Erik Frank, professor at Julius-Maximilans-Universität Würzburg.
The ants are able to recognize the cuticle change to both diagnose and treat their injured nestmates. For treatment, they apply a secretion containing 112 compounds and proteins—half of which have an antimicrobial effect—from their metapleural gland to the infected wounds. This treatment is highly effective and reduces the mortality rate of infected individuals by 90 percent.
These findings are the first to show animals other than humans carrying out medical wound treatments. In the future, the research team hopes to explore wound care behaviors in other ant species and other social animals. Additionally, they plan to identify and analyze the antibiotics used by Matabele ants.
These results also have medical implications because the primary pathogen in ant wounds—Pseudomonas aeruginosa—is a leading cause of infection in humans with several antibiotic resistant strains. Therefore, an understanding of Matabele ant antibiotic secretions can inform the discovery of antibiotics for humans.