Fungus farmers show way to new drugs

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Leaf Cutting Ants Make Antibiotics

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sourced by Barbara McPherson

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  Created by Barbara McPherson | add comment

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  Created by Barbara McPherson | add comment

In the quest for new and more effective antibiotics, scientists are turning to ants, in particular leaf cutter ants.  These little insects cultivate fungi for food in their colonies. 
When researchers at the U. of Toronto investigated how the fungus gardens were protected against destruction, they discovered that the ants carried bacteria that produce an antibiotic that kills off the parasitic fungus that would feast on the fungi.  Recently, the same antibiotic was shown to be effective in controling the growth of  drug resistant Candida Albicans which causes yeast infections.

There is also some promise in the biofuels area.  Studies are now underway to find out how the ants, bacteria and fungi interact to break down cellulose.  Cellulose is a carbohydrate found in plants and is notoriously hard to break down.  If an easy way to break it down could be found, then biofuels could be made from sources other than those high in sugars which are comparatively easy to break down.
This research underlines the interaction of many organisms that make up a system.  Often insignificant organisms are integral to the system working and the loss of one member of the chorus disrupts all.