Beewolves Protect Their Offspring With Antibiotics

[n2doc]

ScienceDaily (Mar. 1, 2010) — Digger wasps of the genus Philanthus, so-called beewolves, house beneficial bacteria on their cocoons that guarantee protection against harmful microorganisms.

The beewolf larva hibernates for several months in its cocoon before the adult insect hatches. Antibiotics on the surface of the cocoon, produced by symbionts, guarantee protection against microbial pests during such long developmental stage. The amount of antibiotics was visualized by means of imaging techniques based on mass spectrometry (LDI imaging) and merged as pseudocolors onto the cocoon. (Credit: Johannes Kroiss and Martin Kaltenpoth, MPI for Chemical Ecology, Jena)




Scientists of the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena teamed up with researchers at the University of Regensburg and the Jena Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research -- Hans-Knoell-Institute -- and discovered that bacteria of the genus Streptomyces produce a cocktail of nine different antibiotics and thereby fend off invading pathogens. Using imaging techniques based on mass spectrometry, the antibiotics could be displayed in vivo on the cocoon's exterior surface. Moreover, it was shown that the use of different kinds of antibiotics provides an effective protection against infection with a multitude of different pathogenic microorganisms.

Thus, for millions of years beewolves have been taking advantage of a principle that is known as combination prophylaxis in human medicine.

The research appears in Nature Chemical Biology, Advance Online Publication, February 28, 2010.

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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100228131339.htm

[chaplainM]

1. ...making them smarter than Suzanne Somers. eom