Wound-dependent leg amputations to combat infections in an ant society.
Curr Biol
; 34(14): 3273-3278.e3, 2024 Jul 22.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38959879
ABSTRACT
Open wounds pose major infection and mortality risks in animals.1,2 To reduce these risks, many animal species apply antimicrobial compounds on their wounds.1,2,3,4 Ant societies use antimicrobial secretions from the metapleural gland to combat pathogens,5,6,7,8,9,10 but this gland has been lost over evolutionary time in several genera, including Camponotus.11 To understand how infected wounds are handled without the use of antimicrobial secretions from the metapleural gland, we conducted behavioral and microbiological experiments in Camponotus floridanus. When we experimentally injured a worker's leg at the femur, nestmates amputated the injured limb by biting the base (trochanter) of the leg until it was severed, thereby significantly increasing survival compared to ants that did not receive amputations. However, when the experimental injury was more distal (at the tibia), nestmates did not amputate the leg and instead directed more wound care to the injury site. Experimental amputations also failed to improve survival in ants with infected tibia injuries unless the leg was amputated immediately after pathogen exposure. Micro-CT scans revealed that the muscles likely responsible for leg hemolymph circulation are predominantly in the femur. Thus, it is likely that femur injuries, by attenuating hemolymph flow, provide sufficient time for workers to perform amputations before pathogen spread. Overall, this study provides the first example of the use of amputations to treat infected individuals in a non-human animal and demonstrates that ants can adapt their type of treatment depending on the location of wounds.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Formigas
/
Amputação Cirúrgica
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Curr Biol
Assunto da revista:
BIOLOGIA
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article