Abstract
BackgroundThe present study aimed to identify and characterize the presence of bacteria carried by ants, and check the distribution of these ants in the physical confines of a medium-sized hospital in São Paulo county, Brazil.MethodsThe ants were collected from March 2012 to February 2013. Attractive non-toxic baits were used to catch the ants, and the sectors considered for the study were medical wards, outdoor areas, obstetric unit, reception area, kitchen, surgical centres, paediatric clinic and intensive care unit. Captured ants were classified using taxonomic keys and subsequently immersed in Brain Heart Infusion broth.ResultsParatrechina spp. and Monomorium floricola ants were found most frequently in the hospital. Ants had a high capacity for carrying bacteria, and the isolates comprised 68.8% Gram-positive, spore-producing bacilli (Bacillus spp. and Listeria spp.); 14.7% Gram-negative bacilli (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella spp.); and 16.4% Gram-positive cocci (Streptococcus spp. and Staphylococcus aureus). Among the areas being evaluated, the medical wards had the largest number of ants captured, and therefore the most bacteria.ConclusionsAnts in hospitals may carry both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and methods of controlling urban ants should be adopted and strictly adhered to, to minimize the risk of infection in hospital patients.
Highlights
The present study aimed to identify and characterize the presence of bacteria carried by ants, and check the distribution of these ants in the physical confines of a medium-sized hospital in São Paulo county, Brazil
Studies in two hospitals in Northeast Brazil have warned about the specific role of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the transport of pathogenic bacteria associated with hospital environments [4]
Considering the ability of ants to carry and disseminate pathogens in the hospital environment, we aimed to identify and characterize the presence of bacteria associated with ants, and the distribution of these ants within the physical confines of a medium-sized hospital in São Paulo county, Brazil
Summary
The present study aimed to identify and characterize the presence of bacteria carried by ants, and check the distribution of these ants in the physical confines of a medium-sized hospital in São Paulo county, Brazil. Ants are social insects that live in symbiosis with humans and readily adapt to urban environments. They can affect the quality of human life, because of the possibility of causing damage and threats to health. The dispersion and increasing populations of urban ants are facilitated by several factors, the most important of which are: polygyny, unicolonial populations, migration of colonies, polidomic colonies, reproduction by. Studies in two hospitals in Northeast Brazil have warned about the specific role of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the transport of pathogenic bacteria associated with hospital environments [4]. Among the factors that favour the presence of ants in urban hospitals are: the arrangement of architectural structures; nearby homes where ants are present, which favours migration of ants; the packaging of some medications may harbour nests of ants, bringing them into the internal environment; the provision and maintenance of air conditioning; the large number of people with clothes and objects that may contain ant nests, and attractions such as food scraps and organic material [5,6]
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