Superbugs are on the rise — could ants be our secret weapon?

In the fight against drug-resistant bacteria, researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton are enlisting an unexpected army: ants, bees and beetles.

In the fight against drug-resistant bacteria, researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton are enlisting an unexpected army: ants, bees and beetles.

These tiny creatures could hold the key to discovering groundbreaking new antibiotics and outsmarting antimicrobial resistance, also known as superbugs.

That’s because insects like leafcutter ants have figured out a clever trick: they grow fungal gardens for food, and in return, they’ve formed a symbiotic partnership with bacteria that produce powerful antimicrobial chemicals to protect their crops.

This eons-old relationship, now being studied by a team at McMaster University, could offer a way to help battle against antimicrobial resistance.

“These ants are amazing organisms. They cut leaves and they use that leaf material to grow a fungus for food,” explained Cameron Currie, lead researcher and a biochemistry and biomedical professor at McMaster University. “And so they’re performing what’s the equivalent of human agriculture, they’re growing their own food source, and that’s what they use to feed and rear their young.”

However, these ants face a significant challenge: fungal diseases that threaten their fungus gardens. To overcome this, the ants have evolved to harbour bacteria that secrete antimicrobial substances, keeping their crops disease-free.

The bacteria get a nutrient-dense place to live, and the ants get disease-free crops, creating what Currie calls a “symbiosis.” And this relationship, he said, could inspire new approaches to addressing the growing issue of antimicrobial resistance in humans.

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the top global public health and development threats, according to the World Health Organization.