de Figueirêdo Rozzanna Esther Cavalcanti Reis, Vasconcellos Alexandre, Policarpo Iamara Silva, Alves Rômulo Romeu Nóbrega
Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia, CCEN, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Laboratório de Termitologia, 58051-900, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil.
Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Laboratório de Termitologia, 58051-900, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2015 Apr 30;11:29. doi: 10.1186/s13002-015-0016-4.
Termites are mainly known for damage caused to human beings, both in urban and rural areas. However, these insects play an important role in the decomposition of organic matter in tropical regions and are important natural resources, which are widely used in traditional medicine and are also consumed by human populations in several parts of the world. This study aimed to catalogue termite species used worldwide through a literature review, characterizing them by its human populations' use. The results showed that at least 45 species of termites, belonging to four families, are used in the world, with 43 species used in human diet and/or in livestock feeding. Nine termite species are used as a therapeutic resource. There is an overlapping use of seven species. The use of termites was registered in 29 countries over three continents. Africa is the continent with the highest number of records, followed by America and Asia. The results suggest that, in addition to their ecological importance, termites are a source of medicinal and food resources to various human populations in various locations of the world, showing their potential for being used as an alternative protein source in human or livestock diets, as well as a source for new medicines.
白蚁主要因在城乡地区给人类造成破坏而闻名。然而，这些昆虫在热带地区的有机物分解中发挥着重要作用，是重要的自然资源，在传统医学中被广泛使用，世界上一些地区的人群也食用白蚁。本研究旨在通过文献综述对全球使用的白蚁种类进行编目，并根据其在人类群体中的用途对其进行特征描述。结果表明，世界上至少有45种白蚁，分属于四个科，其中43种被用于人类饮食和/或家畜饲养。有9种白蚁被用作治疗资源。有7种白蚁存在重叠使用的情况。在三大洲的29个国家记录了对白蚁的使用。非洲是记录数量最多的大陆，其次是美洲和亚洲。结果表明，除了具有生态重要性外，白蚁还是世界不同地区各种人群的药用和食物资源来源，显示出它们作为人类或家畜饮食中替代蛋白质来源以及新药来源的潜力。
