The ant fauna of hospitals: advancements in public health and research priorities in Brazil

Castro, Mariana Monteiro de; Prezoto, Helba Helena Santos; Fernandes, Elisa Furtado; Bueno, Odair Corrêa; Prezoto, Fábio

doi:10.1016/j.rbe.2015.02.011

Cited by 19 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Indeed, the three main groups of pests often encountered in kitchens are rodents (rats and mice), followed by insects (cockroaches, beetles, ants and flies) and birds with pigeons being the main bird pest [16]. The relatively little concern expressed by survey participants with regard to ants is congruent with observations made by Monteiro de Castro [17] who noted that human behavior varied from either extreme entomophobia or total disregard towards ants.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 67%

A study on the potential of ants to act as vectors of foodborne pathogens

2018

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Ants ( Technomyrmex difficilis and Solenopsis geminata ) are insects often found in domestic kitchens of Mauritius. Unfortunately, they harbour disease-causing organisms and can potentially transfer these pathogens to food. This study was carried out to (i) investigate the knowledge, perception and behaviors of consumers in relation to the problem of ant infestation of domestic kitchens; (ii) identify the pathogenic microorganisms carried by ants; and (iii) determine the potential for ants to transfer these pathogenic microorganisms to food. A survey based on a stratified sampling design was carried out with 100 consumers using a questionnaire. To identify the pathogenic microorganism(s) harbored by ants, bait traps were set up using sterile sugar as a non-toxic attractant. Captured ants were then subjected to microbiological analyses. Most respondents (72%) agreed that ants constitute a hygienic issue but they did not perceive ants as a serious threat to human health. However microbiological analyses of ants (n = 50) confirmed the presence of various pathogenic microorganisms as well as fecal contaminants. Ants were found to harbor yeasts and molds systematically (100%), coliforms frequently (52%), Bacillus spp. and Escherichia coli occasionally (26% and 18% respectively) and Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes sporadically (8 and 6 % respectively). Ants were also found to transfer E. coli to food surfaces at a moderately high frequency of 70%. This study demonstrated that the majority of consumers acknowledged the problem of ant infestation as a sanitation-related problem rather than a food safety issue. Since ants have the ability to harbor and subsequently transfer pathogenic or toxigenic microorganisms, ants may act as disease vectors and contaminate food, water and food- contact surfaces of kitchens resulting in foodborne illnesses.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 67%

A study on the potential of ants to act as vectors of foodborne pathogens

2018

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“…Results similar to those found in cashew trees (Anacardium occidentale L.) (Anacardiaceae), with greater foraging between 0900 and 1200 hrs (Santos & Presley, 2010). The air temperature directly affects foraging behavior of social wasps De Castro et al, 2011), with foraging occurring mainly during warmer times of day (Picanço et al, 2010;Barbosa et al, 2014), however air temperature was not an effective predictor of wasp activity (p = 0.2184). Other factors not analyzed, such as the amount of light, wind speed and humidity, also affect foraging behavior De Castro et al, 2011).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Niche overlap and daily activity pattern of social wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae) in kale crops

et al. 2018

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Kale (Brassica oleraceae var. acephala) is of great importance in human nutrition and local agricultural economies, but its growth is impaired by the attack of several insect pests. Social wasps prey on these pests, but few studies report the importance of this predation or the potential use of wasps as biological control for agricultural pests. This study aimed to survey the species of social wasps that forage in kale (B. oleraceae var. acephala), recording the influence of temperature and time of day on the foraging behavior of these wasps. The research was conducted at the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Minas Gerais - Bambuí Campus, from July to December 2015, when twelve collections of social wasps that foraged on a common area of kale cultivation were made, noting the temperature and time of collection for each wasp. Polybia ignobilis, Protonectarina sylveirae and Protopolybia sedula were the most common wasp species foraging in fields of kale. Interspecific interactions between wasp species did not affect their coexistence within kale fields, with peak foraging occurring between 1000 and 1100 hours. Social wasps are important predators of herbivorous insects in the agricultural environment and the coexistence of a great diversity of these predators can help control pest insects that occur in the crop. Moreover, knowing factors that influence foraging behaviors of common wasp species that occur in this crop is important for effective use of these insects in the biological control of pests.

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“…O Brasil possui 1.458 espécies catalogadas, distribuídas em 111 gêneros, o que representa uma das maiores diversidades de espécies de formigas do mundo, e a maior diversidade das Américas (BACCARO et al, 2015). Destas, cerca de 60 são consideradas sinantrópicas em ambientes urbanos (BACCARO et al, 2015;CASTRO et al, 2015). As formigas que habitam áreas urbanas são encontradas em ambientes residenciais e comerciais (OLIVEIRA; CAMPOS-FARINHA, 2005;IOP et al, 2009), escolares (LUTINSKI et al, 2014GUARDA et al, 2018), fragmentos florestais e áreas verdes ( PACHECO;VASCONCELOS, 2007;LUTINSKI et al, 2014;NOOTEN et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Formigas Em Ambientes Urbanos Da Região Noroeste Do Rio Grande Do Sul

Roani

Rizzotto

Guarda

et al. 2019

Rev. Bras. Ciênc. Ambient. (Online)

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Formigas que ocorrem em áreas urbanas têm sido foco de estudos nosúltimos anos. Contudo, a mirmecofauna de muitas regiões ainda permanecedesconhecida. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a riqueza e a abundânciadas assembleias de formigas que ocorrem em ambientes urbanos da regiãonoroeste do Rio Grande do Sul. Foram amostradas cinco cidades da região emdois tipos de ambiente: praças e terrenos baldios. Amostras foram obtidasentre os meses de fevereiro e maio de 2018, utilizando-se iscas de glicose esardinha e coleta manual. Foram amostradas 9.772 espécimes de formigas,registradas 468 ocorrências, identificadas 57 espécies, pertencentes a19 gêneros e cinco subfamílias. Os gêneros mais ricos foram Pheidole(S = 13), Linepithema (S = 7) e Camponotus (S = 6). Este trabalho contribuipara o conhecimento das assembleias de formigas em ambientes urbanos edos impactos que a antropização exerce sobre a biodiversidade.

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The ant fauna of hospitals: advancements in public health and research priorities in Brazil

Cited by 19 publications

References 27 publications

A study on the potential of ants to act as vectors of foodborne pathogens

A study on the potential of ants to act as vectors of foodborne pathogens

Niche overlap and daily activity pattern of social wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae) in kale crops

Formigas Em Ambientes Urbanos Da Região Noroeste Do Rio Grande Do Sul

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