scholarly journals Ammonia Production by Streptomyces Symbionts of Acromyrmex Leaf-Cutting Ants Strongly Inhibits the Fungal Pathogen Escovopsis

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1622
Author(s):  
Basanta Dhodary ◽  
Dieter Spiteller
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Closed Loop ◽  
Pathogenic Fungus ◽  
Ant Colonies ◽  
Strong Activity ◽  
Streptomyces Sp ◽  
Mutualistic Symbiosis ◽  
Leaf Cutting ◽  
Leucoagaricus Gongylophorus ◽  
Production Of Ammonia

Leaf-cutting ants live in mutualistic symbiosis with their garden fungus Leucoagaricus gongylophorus that can be attacked by the specialized pathogenic fungus Escovopsis. Actinomyces symbionts from Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants contribute to protect L. gongylophorus against pathogens. The symbiont Streptomyces sp. Av25_4 exhibited strong activity against Escovopsis weberi in co-cultivation assays. Experiments physically separating E. weberi and Streptomyces sp. Av25_4 allowing only exchange of volatiles revealed that Streptomyces sp. Av25_4 produces a volatile antifungal. Volatile compounds from Streptomyces sp. Av25_4 were collected by closed loop stripping. Analysis by NMR revealed that Streptomyces sp. Av25_4 overproduces ammonia (up to 8 mM) which completely inhibited the growth of E. weberi due to its strong basic pH. Additionally, other symbionts from different Acromyrmex ants inhibited E. weberi by production of ammonia. The waste of ca. one third of Acomyrmex and Atta leaf-cutting ant colonies was strongly basic due to ammonia (up to ca. 8 mM) suggesting its role in nest hygiene. Not only complex and metabolically costly secondary metabolites, such as polyketides, but simple ammonia released by symbionts of leaf-cutting ants can contribute to control the growth of Escovopsis that is sensitive to ammonia in contrast to the garden fungus L. gongylophorus.

scholarly journals An Actinobacterial Isolate, Streptomyces sp. YX44, Produces Broad-Spectrum Antibiotics That Strongly Inhibit Staphylococcus aureus

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 630
Author(s):  
Tien-Lin Chang ◽  
Tzu-Wen Huang ◽  
Ying-Xuan Wang ◽  
Chang-Pan Liu ◽  
Ralph Kirby ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Fermentation Broth ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Size Exclusion ◽  
Significant Activity ◽  
Health Food ◽  
Strong Activity ◽  
Genus Streptomyces ◽  
Streptomyces Sp ◽  
Good Solubility

The need for new antibiotics is increasing due to their overuse, and antibiotic resistance has become one of the major threats worldwide to public health, food safety, and clinical treatment. In this study, we describe an actinobacterial isolate, YX44, which belongs to the genus Streptomyces. This Streptomyces was isolated from a drinking pipe located in Osaka, Japan, and has the ability to inhibit Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, and various fungi. YX44 fermentation broth shows strong activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, as well as also inhibiting clinical isolates of multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The YX44 antibacterial substances in the broth are relatively heat-stable, show high stability from the pH range 1 to 11, and have good solubility in both organic and non-organic solvents. Size-exclusion chromatography revealed that the YX44 antibacterial compounds are less than 1000 Da in size. LC-MS was able to identify three possible candidate molecules with molecular weights of 308, 365, 460, and 653 g/mol; none of these sizes correspond to any well-known antibiotics. Our results show that Streptomyces sp. YX44 seems to produce a number of novel antibiotics with high pH stability and good solubility that have significant activity against S. aureus, including multidrug-resistant strains.

scholarly journals Social Transfer of Pathogenic Fungus Promotes Active Immunisation in Ant Colonies

PLoS Biology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. e1001300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Konrad ◽  
Meghan L. Vyleta ◽  
Fabian J. Theis ◽  
Miriam Stock ◽  
Simon Tragust ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pathogenic Fungus ◽  
Active Immunisation ◽  
Ant Colonies ◽  
Social Transfer

Taxonomic and nomenclatural novelties in Leucoagaricus (Agaricaceae) from Brazil

Phytotaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 494 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-58
Author(s):  
CELESTE HEISECKE ◽  
JAIME ANDRÉS DUQUE BARBOSA ◽  
MARIA ALICE NEVES ◽  
ANIBAL ALVES DE CARVALHO JR
Keyword(s):  
Rio De Janeiro ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Full Description ◽  
Symbiotic Fungus ◽  
Leaf Cutting ◽  
Morphological And Molecular Data ◽  
Leucoagaricus Gongylophorus ◽  
Pileus Surface

Leucoagaricus nzumbae sp. nov. (Agaricaceae) is described based on morphological and molecular data from Teresópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This species is characterized by the delicate small basidiomes that turn completely lilac when dried, brownish color of the pileus surface, and trichodermal elements with intracellular and parietal brown pigments of the pileus covering. A lectotype and an epitype are designated for Leucoagaricus gongylophorus, a symbiotic fungus of leaf-cutting ants. Full description, nomenclatural notes, and illustrations of fresh basidiomes in situ and of the main macro-and micromorphological features of both species are provided.

scholarly journals Mathematical Modelling on Avoidance-to- Acceptance Transition in Leaf Cutting Ant Colonies

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Amudhavel ◽  
C. Kodeeswari ◽  
S. Jarina ◽  
S. Jaiganesh ◽  
B. Bhuvaneswari
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Modelling ◽  
Ant Colonies ◽  
Leaf Cutting

scholarly journals IDENTIFIKASI DAN UJI PATOGENISITAS CENDAWAN ENTOMOPATOGEN LOKAL TERHADAP Leptocorisa oratorius

EUGENIA ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmy Senewe ◽  
Guntur Manengkey
Keyword(s):  
Fungal Pathogen ◽  
Fungal Pathogens ◽  
Pathogenic Fungus ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
North Sulawesi ◽  
Pathogenicity Tests ◽  
Major Pest ◽  
White Mycelium ◽  
Fusarium Sp ◽  
Leptocorisa Oratorius

ABSTRACT Leptocorisa oratorius is one major pest of rice in North Sulawesi. Hence, it is necessary to control the pest. The research objective was to identify and to test pathogenicity of local  entomopathogen fungi which infected  Leptocorisa oratorius. The pathogens were collected through sampling of L. oratorius which had been infected by the fungi in the field. The pathogenic fungi was isolated using PDA medium, identified followed by inoculation for pathogenecity test.  During several sampling pest, it was found that  L. oratorius was attacked by fungal pathogens in the field. The identification revelead that the fungal pathogens were Beauveria sp and Fusarium sp. Both the fungal pathogen produced white mycelium and could only be distinguished using microscope in the laboratory. Result of pathogenicity tests showed that the two fungal pathogens caused different mortality of the L. oratorius. Mortality of  L. oratorius caused by pathogenic fungus Beauveria sp was  30.3% . Whereas, mortality of  L. oratorius caused by Fusarium sp was only 3.33%. Keywords : pathogenic fungi, entomopathogen, pathogenicity tests, L. oratorius

scholarly journals Endophytic fungi reduce leaf-cutting ant damage to seedlings

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. S. Bittleston ◽  
F. Brockmann ◽  
W. Wcislo ◽  
S. A. Van Bael
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Endophytic Fungi ◽  
Cordia Alliodora ◽  
Neotropical Forests ◽  
Ant Colonies ◽  
Leaf Toughness ◽  
Leaf Tissues ◽  
Leaf Cutting ◽  
Atta Colombica

Our study examines how the mutualism between Atta colombica leaf-cutting ants and their cultivated fungus is influenced by the presence of diverse foliar endophytic fungi (endophytes) at high densities in tropical leaf tissues. We conducted laboratory choice trials in which ant colonies chose between Cordia alliodora seedlings with high ( E high ) or low ( E low ) densities of endophytes. The E high seedlings contained 5.5 times higher endophyte content and a greater diversity of fungal morphospecies than the E low treatment, and endophyte content was not correlated with leaf toughness or thickness. Leaf-cutting ants cut over 2.5 times the leaf area from E low relative to E high seedlings and had a tendency to recruit more ants to E low plants. Our findings suggest that leaf-cutting ants may incur costs from cutting and processing leaves with high endophyte loads, which could impact Neotropical forests by causing variable damage rates within plant communities.

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