Ant colony, like human cities, is densely populated. With such a close neighborhood, infections spread rapidly. People struggle with them with the help of antibiotics and ants also. Previously it was believed that most ants have their own antibacterial agents, which insects produce to protect themselves from disease outbreaks.

A new study of scientists from the University of North Carolina (North Carolina State University), USA, has shown that antibacterial substances of some species of ants are so effective that they can be useful to people. Given the global problem with the steadily growing antibiotic resistance of some microorganisms, this approach can help. The results of the work of researchers are published in the journal "Royal Society Open Science".

Research leader Clint Penick (Clint Penick) said that the work used smears from the surfaces of ants bodies of 20 different species. These antibacterial compounds were placed in a bacterial medium. If in some medium the bacteria (namely, staphylococci) grew more slowly than in the control one, this meant that the sample contained a substance with antibacterial properties. Of the 20 samples, such properties were detected only in 12, that is, 8 species of insects had no external immunity to bacterial infections.

However, along with this, experts established that the antibiotic produced by one of the species (Solenopsis molesta) was particularly powerful, and previously scientists did not know that this species produces antimicrobial substances. A powerful compound killed all the bacteria in the colony into which it was placed. Perhaps this antimicrobial agent and will serve to create new antibiotics.

However, scientists note that so far the identified compound has been tested on too few pathogenic bacteria. Additional studies will be required to determine to what extent the antimicrobial effect of this substance is universal.

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