Antibacterial properties of contact defensive secretions in neotropical Crematogaster ants

Abstract

Abstract:Crematogaster ants use their contact venoms to compete with other ants. Although those venoms are used primarily as repellent and toxic secretions, they may have other functions. The present study aimed to test the antibacterial property of abdominal venom of three neotropical Crematogaster ant species (C. distans, C. pygmaea and C. rochai) against gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and gram-positive (Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria. Sterile filter paper was soaked with C. distans, C. pygmaea or C. rochai crude venom and placed on an agar dish that was inoculated with bacterial suspensions. The agar dish was incubated overnight at 37°C and examined for zones of growth inhibition. For each tested venom and bacterial strain, three venom concentrations were used, with six replicates for each concentration: 1, 2 and 4 DGE (Dufour's gland equivalent). The venom of C. pygmaea, but not those of C. rochai and C. distans, inhibited the growth of all tested gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial strains. This is the first evidence of antibacterial properties of contact venoms in Crematogaster ants and it supports the claim that ant venoms are multifunctional. It is hypothesized that only C. pygmaea venom showed antibacterial activities due to its nesting habits.

External immunity in ant societies: sociality and colony size do not predict investment in antimicrobials

“…Ants in the subfamily Formicinae, which includes Camponotus , produce formic acid as a defence compound against vertebrates and other insects, but formic acid is also used to inhibit fungal pathogens [ 34 , 35 ]. Similarly, the venoms of Crematogaster [ 36 ] and Solenopsis [ 8 ] are both known to inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus bacteria. Ants in the subfamily Dolichoderinae lack a stinging apparatus, but they produce defensive compounds in the pygidial gland that could also have antimicrobial properties [ 37 , 38 ].…”

Glandular Secretions of Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): A Review on Extraction, Chemical Characterization and Antibiotic Potential

“…Most substances are acids (Ortius-Lechner et al, 2000;Yek & Mueller, 2011;Yek et al, 2012;Fernández-Marin et al, 2015) and protein substances (Yek et al, 2012), with antimicrobial function (Yek et al, 2012;Mendonça et al, 2009;Pech & Billen, 2017). The mandibular glands, venom gland and Dufour gland also present a broad spectrum of chemical compounds with proven toxic, repellent and antimicrobial effects (Mendonça et al, 2009;Quinet et al, 2012;Tragust, 2016).…”

“…The chemical characterization of the substances present in the secretions was the second goal that most motivated the investigation of glandular secretions of ants (Castricani et al, 2003;Wood et al, 2011;Martins et al, 2015). Antimicrobial activity of glandular secretions of ants appears as the third most cited objective in the literature consulted (Attygale et al, 1989;Quinet et al, 2012;Song et al, 2012). Evidence in the studies consulted suggests that investment in antimicrobial substances has evolved repeatedly in social strains and may be particularly important for species living in large, complex societies such as ants of the tribe Attini (Atta and Acromyrmex), made up of large numbers of individuals living in obligatory mutualism with a homogeneous culture of fungi (Penick et al, 2018).…”

“…The search for articles was performed in CAPES journals portal, in an advanced search using the terms "gland secretion" and "ants", without selecting a specific database. Two articles found in the Biblioteca Virtual emSaúde (BVS) and three selected in the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SCIELO) were included because they directly met the criteria determined for analysis, as follows: Attygalle et al (1998), , Marsaro-Júnior et al (2001), Quinet et al (2012) as well as Melo and Fortich (2013). Time series included articles published between 1989 and 2017.…”

Antimicrobial effect of Dinoponera quadriceps (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) venom against Staphylococcus aureus strains

“…Venoms produced by ants of the subfamilies Paraponerinae, Ectatomminae, Pseudomyrmecinae, Myrmeciinae, Myrmicinae and Ponerinae are rich in peptides with myotoxic, neurotoxic, cytotoxic or antimicrobial properties (Akre and Reed 2002;Palma 2006;Moreau 2013). Pachycondyla goeldii, Myrmecia pilosula, Crematogaster pygmaea and Dinoponera australis ant venoms have antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial strains (Orivel et al 2001;Zelezetsky et al 2005;Johnson et al 2010;Quinet et al 2012).…”