Center for the Study of Social Insects, UNESP-São Paulo State University, Bela Vista, RC, Brazil.
Folia Microbiol (Praha). 2012 Jan;57(1):21-6. doi: 10.1007/s12223-011-0081-6. Epub 2011 Dec 9.
Leaf-cutting ants (Formicidae: Attini) are considered pests in agriculture for their impact in human crops, as they utilize leaf fragments to raise their fungal mutualist (Agaricales: Lepiotaceae). Basically, the basidiomycetous fungus is cultivated to supply food to adult workers and broads; in return, the ants protect it against natural enemies. However, recent studies have claimed that other microorganisms are associated to ant nests where a wide range of interactions may take place. To investigate the occurrence of dematiaceous fungi on the cuticle of Atta laevigata ants, 30 workers were sampled from an adult nest located in the surroundings of the Center for the Studies of Social Insects, UNESP-Rio Claro, SP, Brazil. The use of selective techniques to avoid high-sporulation fungi has been recommended and was tested in this study. To favor the isolation of the desired fungi, heads and cuticle scrapings of ant bodies were inoculated on Mycosel agar and incubated for 3 weeks at 35°C. Morphological and molecular methods were used to identify the filamentous fungi recovered. From 56 isolates, 19 were hyaline filamentous species, and among the remaining 37, some are mentioned as phyto-associated fungi like Alternaria arborescens, Bipolaris sorokiniana, Bipolaris eleusines, Bipolaris zeae, Curvularia trifolii, and Paraphaeosphaeria michotii. These species are reported from A. laevigata bodies for the first time. None of the isolation trials revealed the presence of the parasite Escovopsis or entomopathogenic fungi. The possible spread of the fungi in nature by the ants is discussed.
切叶蚁（蚁科：Attini）因其对人类作物的影响而被认为是农业害虫，因为它们利用叶片碎片来培育它们的真菌共生体（伞菌目：Lepiotaceae）。基本上，培养担子菌真菌是为了给成年工蚁和幼虫提供食物；作为回报，蚂蚁会保护它免受天敌的侵害。然而，最近的研究声称，其他微生物与蚁巢有关，在那里可能会发生广泛的相互作用。为了调查在 Atta laevigata 蚂蚁表皮上存在黑真菌，从位于巴西圣保拉州 UNESP-Rio Claro 社会昆虫研究中心周围的一个成年蚁巢中采集了 30 只工蚁。本研究建议并测试了使用选择性技术避免高孢子真菌的方法。为了有利于所需真菌的分离，将蚂蚁身体的头部和表皮刮屑接种到 Mycosel 琼脂上，并在 35°C 下孵育 3 周。使用形态学和分子方法来鉴定回收的丝状真菌。从 56 个分离株中，有 19 个是透明丝状真菌，其余 37 个分离株中，有些是与植物相关的真菌，如拟盘多毛孢（Alternaria arborescens）、双极孢（Bipolaris sorokiniana）、旋孢腔菌（Bipolaris eleusines）、玉米旋孢腔菌（Bipolaris zeae）、三叶草根腐离蠕孢（Curvularia trifolii）和拟球腔菌（Paraphaeosphaeria michotii）。这些物种是首次从 A. laevigata 体内报道的。在任何分离试验中都没有发现寄生虫 Escovopsis 或昆虫病原真菌。讨论了蚂蚁可能在自然界中传播这些真菌的可能性。
