A University of Sydney study found that Australian ant honey possesses special medical residential or commercial properties against bacteria and fungis, verifying its restorative usage by Indigenous communities. Credit: Danny Ulrich
Research reveals that honeypot ant honey has strong antimicrobial qualities.
Researchers have found that the honey produced by ants belonging to Australia possesses distinct anti-microbial activity against germs and fungi that might make the liquid beneficial medicinally.
The research study, which was just recently published in the journal PeerJ, was led by Andrew Dong and Dr. Kenya Fernandes from the Carter Lab at the University of Sydney. The lab is under the assistance of Professor Dee Carter from the School of Life and Environmental Sciences and the Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases.
The team studied the Australian honeypot ant, Camponotus inflatus, which is found throughout desert areas generally in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Among their colonies is a class of overfed employees that are packed with nectar and sweet compounds by other employee ants, triggering their abdomens to inflate with honey and handle a translucent, amber appearance.
These ants effectively become immobile vending makers for their nest, spitting up honey when other food choices are limited. Danny Ulrich from the Tjupan language group, who runs honeypot ant trips in Kalgoorlie, helped the scientists find specimens for their research study.
” For our individuals, honey ants are more than simply a food source. Digging for them is a really satisfying way of living and a method of bringing the family together,” Mr Ulrich stated. “Our individuals have been delighting in sweet honey ants for thousands of years. As for its medical use, we use it for aching throats and often as a topical ointment to help keep infections at bay.”
The researchers stated their study marks the very first time that ant honey has actually been investigated for its medicinal residential or commercial properties.
Australian honeypot ants Credit: Danny Ulrich
” I have long been captivated by the honeypot ant and its incredible way of saving and producing honey,” Mr Dong said. “Given the medicinal usage of the honey by Indigenous individuals, I wondered if it might have special antimicrobial characteristics.”
The researchers have validated that ant honey has a quite various system of action compared to Manuka honey, which is well-established as a topical treatment for wounds and skin infections.
” Our research study reveals that honeypot ant honey has a distinctive effect that sets it apart from other kinds of honey,” Dr Fernandes stated. “This discovery means that honeypot ant honey could contain substances with substantial antimicrobial power; recognizing these could offer us with starting points for establishing different and new kinds of antibiotics.”
Honeypot ants have actually been utilized medicinally by First Nations people for thousands of years, consisting of for the treatment of colds and sore throats. Now Western science is catching up with their customs.
” This study demonstrates that honeypot ant honey has distinct antimicrobial characteristics that verify its restorative use by Indigenous individuals,” Professor Carter stated. “Taking something that has actually been sharpened by development to work in nature and after that using this to human health is an excellent way to come up with healing methods.”
The scientists found the ants honey works versus Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium frequently understood as golden staph. The germs colonize on the skin and nose of individuals, however if they get in through a cut, they can trigger infections such as boils and sores or, in serious cases, death.
They likewise found ant honey is powerful against two types of fungi, Aspergillus and Cryptococcus. Both fungi can be discovered in soil and this ability to prevent them most likely evolved to prevent ant colonies from being attacked by fungis. These fungi can likewise cause serious infections in individuals with suppressed body immune systems.
Recommendation: “Unique antimicrobial activity in honey from the Australian honeypot ant (Camponotus inflatus)” by Andrew Z. Dong, Nural Cokcetin, Dee A. Carter and Kenya E. Fernandes, 26 July 2023, PeerJ.DOI: 10.7717/ peerj.15645.
” For our individuals, honey ants are more than just a food source. “Our people have actually been enjoying sweet honey ants for thousands of years. As for its medicinal usage, we use it for sore throats and sometimes as a topical ointment to assist keep infections at bay.”
Both fungi can be discovered in soil and this capability to prevent them most likely progressed to prevent ant nests from being invaded by fungi. These fungis can likewise trigger severe infections in people with suppressed immune systems.