Amazing stuff! Absolutely stunning!
"... They only eat termites and will go on dangerous hunting expeditions in which they frequently get injured as they hunt those termites. ...
A study in 2018 found that the Matabele ants carry their wounded partners home after an attack on termites and then care for them back in the nest, holding the hurt limb with their mandibles and front legs while licking the wound. It’s the first non-human animal that has been seen systematically nursing their wounded back to health. ...
They take these antibiotics from a gland located on the side of the thorax. Its secretion has over 110 components, half of which have a wound-healing effect.
It’s a highly effective therapy. The mortality rate of infected individuals is reduced by 90%, as the researchers discovered. They believe this has medical implications, as the main pathogen found in ants’ wounds, called Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is also a leading cause of infection in humans, with several strains that are antibiotic resistant. ..."
It’s a highly effective therapy. The mortality rate of infected individuals is reduced by 90%, as the researchers discovered. They believe this has medical implications, as the main pathogen found in ants’ wounds, called Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is also a leading cause of infection in humans, with several strains that are antibiotic resistant. ..."
"... "Chemical analyses ... have shown that the hydrocarbon profile of the ant cuticle changes as a result of a wound infection," ... It is precisely this change that the ants are able to recognise and thus diagnose the infection status of injured nestmates. ..."
From the abstract:
"Infected wounds pose a major mortality risk in animals. Injuries are common in the ant Megaponera analis, which raids pugnacious prey. Here we show that M. analis can determine when wounds are infected and treat them accordingly. By applying a variety of antimicrobial compounds and proteins secreted from the metapleural gland to infected wounds, workers reduce the mortality of infected individuals by 90%. Chemical analyses showed that wound infection is associated with specific changes in the cuticular hydrocarbon profile, thereby likely allowing nestmates to diagnose the infection state of injured individuals and apply the appropriate antimicrobial treatment. This study demonstrates that M. analis ant societies use antimicrobial compounds produced in the metapleural glands to treat infected wounds and reduce nestmate mortality."
Ants Recognise Infected Wounds and Treat Them (news released by Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg)
A Matabele ant tends to the wound of a fellow ant whose legs were bitten off in a fight with termites.
On the left a fresh injury, on the right the condition one hour after treatment. The wound surface appears to be sealed.
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