Natures wonders: ant farms with fungal protection (Introduction)

by David Turell , Thursday, January 21, 2021, 04:39 (1401 days ago) @ David Turell

The bacteria they use produce a protective chemical:

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-antifungal-compound-ant-farms.html

"Attine ants are farmers, and they grow fungus as food. Pseudonocardia and Streptomyces bacteria are their farmhands, producing metabolites that protect the crop from pathogens. Surprisingly, these metabolites lack common structural features across bacteria from different geographic locations, even though the ants share a common ancestor. Now, researchers report in ACS Central Science they have identified the first shared antifungal compound among many of these bacteria across Brazil. The compound could someday have medical applications.

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"In a study of bacteria from ant nests at multiple sites in Brazil, the team discovered that nearly two thirds of Pseudonocardia strains produced a potent antifungal agent, which they called attinimicin. This discovery marked the first report of a specialized metabolite with broad geographic distribution produced by ant-associated bacteria. While this metabolite was safe for the fungal crop, it inhibited growth of fungal parasites, though—unlike many antibiotics—only in the absence of iron. It was also effective in fighting a Candida albicans infection in mice, comparable to azole-containing antifungal treatments that are used clinically, making it a potential drug candidate. The researchers ascertained attinimicin's structure and studied its evolutionary relationship to two similar bacterial peptides produced by Streptomyces—oxachelin A and cahuitamycin A."

Comment: All farmers use pesticides. The ants are no different.