Posts Tagged ‘entomology’

Many times the secrets to medicine and science are right in front of us. Or, perhaps more appropriately, beneath us. In the case of the development of antibiotics, we needn’t look any further than the simple ant for inspiration. Ants have a small-but-distinguishing feature that makes them unique and very valuable to antibiotic research: the metapleural gland.  This gland, which has been around for at least 98 million years and is found on many if not most ant species, creates antibiotics on the ant’s exoskeleton that fight bacteria and fungi.

Noted in 1860, the gland wasn’t thought to be of any particular significance. It wasn’t until 1898 that a more anatomical approach was taken to the gland, which was about 20 or so years after the discovery or at least the notation of the aspects of antibiotics. While there was some research in the early-to-mid 1900′s, it wasn’t until 1984 that great research on the metapleural gland (PDF) was available.  And, finally, in 1989 Australian researchers discovered that the antibiotics could be used to treat fungal infections in humans, and was followed in 1992 with further research.

Much of the research on ants since then and especially recently has focused much more on the symbiotic relationship between attine ants and a particular bacterium.  In this relationship, the ants house and secrete a baterium that produces antibiotics (PDF), which in turn kills invading fungi.  Those same ants, which actually cultivate and feed off of another kind of fungus, houses baterium (PDF) that produces antibiotics that selectively fight the bad, invading fungus, and protect their gardens, thereby allowing the ants to thrive.

The initial reaction to such research is generally, “Let’s harvest these ants and take the antibiotics and use them for humans!”  There’s one main problem with this, however: ants with metapleural glands are notoriously difficult to “domesticate” (insofar as you can domesticate an insect!).   Interestingly, ant species which don’t have the gland are more apt to be domesticated.  But that doesn’t mean there aren’t things to be learned or applied using this research.

The foremost reason to study this gland is to learn the mechanisms by which it can produce antibiotics and harbor baterium which produces the antibiotics.  Doing so may allow us to create better environments for bacteria we find beneficial for our own health and the health of our crops and animals.

Further, it’s important to understand the mechanism for the production of the antibiotics and how the antibiotics can change given evolutionary processes found in the invading fungi.  This helps us understand microbiological evolution, epidemiology, and gives us a better lead off of which to base immunological research.

We can use this research in other, non-pharmaceutical concepts, as well, including the development of anti-biological and chemical warfare armor.  Perhaps the gland will reveal a way to best defend against such weapons, and offer a way to change the defense of the armor given the particular weapon.  I can also imagine this research being applied to the advancement of printers, particularly those that may be used in the future to create human tissues.

While we often look for answers using many advanced concepts, sometimes the facet that leads to the best solution is one that has already been through the trials of nature.  That’s what makes entomology so fascinating when coupled with medicine: oftentimes the answers to our problems have already been solved by creatures of which for so long we thought very little.