scholarly journals The allergic response mediated by fire ant venom proteins

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zamith-Miranda Daniel ◽  
Eduardo G. P. Fox ◽  
Ana Paula Monteiro ◽  
Diogo Gama ◽  
Luiz E. Poublan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Allergic Response ◽  
Fire Ants ◽  
Fire Ant ◽  
Practical Reasons ◽  
Physiological Effects ◽  
Protein Extract ◽  
Venom Protein ◽  
Ant Venom ◽  
Venom Proteins ◽  
Biomedical Interest

AbstractFire ants are widely studied, invasive and venomous arthropod pests. There is significant biomedical interest in immunotherapy against fire ant stings. However, mainly due to practical reasons, the physiological effects of envenomation has remained poorly characterized. The present study takes advantage of a recently-described venom protein extract to delineate the immunological pathways underlying the allergic reaction to fire ant venom toxins. Mice were injected with controlled doses of venom protein extract. Following sensitization and a second exposure, a marked footpad swelling was observed. Based on eosinophil recruitment and production of Th2 cytokines, we hereby establish that fire ant proteins per se can lead to an allergic response, which casts a new light into the mechanism of action of these toxins.

scholarly journals The allergic response mediated by fire ant venom proteins

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Zamith-Miranda ◽  
Eduardo G. P. Fox ◽  
Ana Paula Monteiro ◽  
Diogo Gama ◽  
Luiz E. Poublan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Allergic Response ◽  
Fire Ant ◽  
Ant Venom ◽  
Venom Proteins

scholarly journals Nucleotide sequence of cDNA encoding the fire ant venom protein Sol i II

FEBS Letters ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 319 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 138-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margit Schmidt ◽  
Robert B. Walker ◽  
Donald R. Hoffman ◽  
Thomas J. McConnell
Keyword(s):  
Nucleotide Sequence ◽  
Fire Ant ◽  
Venom Protein ◽  
Ant Venom

Consequences of envenomation: red imported fire ants have delayed effects on survival but not growth of native fence lizards

2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (7) ◽  
pp. 566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracy Langkilde ◽  
Nicole A. Freidenfelds
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rates ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Selective Pressure ◽  
The Body ◽  
Fire Ants ◽  
Fire Ant ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Aggressive Interactions ◽  
Ant Venom ◽  
Body Sizes

Context Aggressive encounters, including those with venomous species, impose selective pressure on native species. Immediate lethal outcomes of these encounters have been the primary focus of research in this field. However, not all aggressive interactions result in immediate mortality, and indirect consequences of aggressive interactions may be an equally important but under-considered selective force. The red imported fire ant is a globally important venomous invader that imposes novel selective pressure on native communities. Aims We examined indirect effects of fire ant envenomation on native fence lizard growth rates and subsequent survival. Methods Fence lizards are subject to fire ant envenomation in the field when they eat fire ants (they are stung inside the mouth) and through fire ant attack (they are stung on the body). We quantified body sizes of adult lizards from fire ant-invaded and uninvaded sites. We then experimentally exposed hatchling fence lizards to the two modes of fire ant envenomation, and quantified their growth and survival over 1 year. Key results Lizards from fire ant-invaded sites were smaller than those from an uninvaded site, even at similar latitudes. However, in contrast to studies on other native taxa, we found no effect of fire ant venom on growth rates of lizards from naïve or fire ant-invaded populations. Lizards exposed to fire ant venom, through both eating and attack, experienced higher rates of delayed mortality, with 34% of lizards dying 1–11 weeks post-envenomation compared with 12% of lizards in the control treatment. These patterns were true for fire ant naïve populations as well as those exposed to fire ants for ~35 generations. Conclusions These results suggest that the smaller body sizes observed in fence lizards from fire ant-invaded sites are not a consequence of exposure to fire ant venom. However, fence lizards from both sites suffer delayed survival costs of fire ant envenomation. Implications The present study highlights the importance of considering indirect fitness consequences of aggressive encounters if we are to fully understand the ecological and evolutionary consequences of these interactions, and adequately manage and predict the impacts of invasive species.

Antileishmanial Activity of Fire Ant Venom Alkaloids

Planta Medica ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (05) ◽  
Author(s):  
HMTB Hereath ◽  
BL Tekwani ◽  
NPD Nanayakkara
Keyword(s):  
Antileishmanial Activity ◽  
Fire Ant ◽  
Ant Venom

scholarly journals Comparative Immature Morphology of Brazilian Fire Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae:Solenopsis)

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo Gonçalves Paterson Fox ◽  
Daniel Russ Solis ◽  
Mônica Lanzoni Rossi ◽  
Jacques Hubert Charles Delabie ◽  
Rodrigo Fernando de Souza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intraspecific Variation ◽  
Solenopsis Invicta ◽  
Morphological Traits ◽  
Species Level ◽  
Fire Ants ◽  
Fire Ant ◽  
Solenopsis Geminata ◽  
Body Dimensions ◽  
Larval Instars ◽  
Genus Level

Although common in Brazil, the biology of the fire antSolenopsis saevissima(Smith) is still poorly studied. Larval descriptions are useful to genus-level ant systematics and sometimes to species-level taxonomy. This study presents a detailed description of juveniles ofS. saevissimafrom Brazil, which were compared with Brazilian specimens ofSolenopsis invictaBuren,Solenopsis geminata(Fabricius), andSolenopsis altipunctataPitts. Different larval instars were separated by diagnostic morphological traits which were confirmed by observing moults. Reproductive larvae could be easily sorted by their distinctive body dimensions and shape. Contrary to previous reports on this species, the larvae ofS. saevissimaproved to be generally identical to those ofS. invicta, while a few specimens resembled those of other close species, such asSolenopsis megergatesTrager. Mature larvae thus presented considerable intraspecific variation in some characters recently proposed to aid fire ant species separation (morphology of head hairs).

scholarly journals Characterization of the allergen Sol gem 2 from the fire ant venom, Solenopsis geminata

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Sukprasert ◽  
N Uawonggul ◽  
T Jamjanya ◽  
S Thammasirirak ◽  
J Daduang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fire Ant ◽  
Solenopsis Geminata ◽  
Ant Venom

scholarly journals Distinct colony boundaries and larval discrimination in polygyne red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
MacKenzie Kjeldgaard ◽  
Pierre-André Eyer ◽  
Collin McMichael ◽  
Alison Bockoven ◽  
Joanie King ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solenopsis Invicta ◽  
Sucrose Solution ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Fire Ants ◽  
Fire Ant ◽  
Red Imported Fire Ant ◽  
Invasive Ant ◽  
Nestmate Discrimination ◽  
Social Forms

Evaluating the factors that promote invasive ant abundance is critical to assess their ecological impact and inform their management. Many invasive ant species show reduced nestmate recognition and an absence of boundaries between unrelated nests, which allow populations to achieve greater densities due to reduced intraspecific competition. We examined nestmate discrimination and colony boundaries in introduced populations of the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta; hereafter, fire ant). Fire ants occur in two social forms: monogyne (colonies with a single egg-laying queen) and polygyne (colonies with multiple egg-laying queens). In contrast with monogyne nests, polygyne nests are thought to be interconnected due to the reduced antagonism between non-nestmate polygyne workers, perhaps because polygyne workers habituate the colony to an odor unique to Gp-9-carrying adults. However, colony boundaries and nestmate discrimination are poorly documented, particularly for worker-brood interactions. To delimit boundaries between field colonies, we correlated the exchange of a N-glycine tracer dissolved in a sucrose solution with social form. We also evaluated nestmate discrimination between polygyne workers and larvae in the laboratory. Counter to our expectations, polygyne colonies behaved identically to monogyne colonies, suggesting both social forms maintain strict colony boundaries. Polygyne workers also preferentially fed larval nestmates and may have selectively cannibalized non-nestmates. The levels of relatedness among workers in polygyne colonies was higher than those previously reported in North America (mean ±SE: 0.269 ± 0.037). Our study highlights the importance of combining genetic analyses with direct quantification of resource exchange to better understand the factors influencing ant invasions.

scholarly journals TOXIFY: a deep learning approach to classify animal venom proteins

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Jeffrey Cole ◽  
Michael S Brewer
Keyword(s):  
Protein Sequence ◽  
Software Package ◽  
Shotgun Proteomics ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Venom Protein ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Gated Recurrent Units ◽  
Venom Proteins ◽  
Generation Sequencing

In the era of Next-Generation Sequencing and shotgun proteomics, the sequences of animal toxigenic proteins are being generated at rates exceeding the pace of traditional means for empirical toxicity verification. To facilitate the automation of toxin identification from protein sequences, we trained Recurrent Neural Networks with Gated Recurrent Units on publicly available datasets. The resulting models are available via the novel software package TOXIFY, allowing users to infer the probability of a given protein sequence being a venom protein. TOXIFY is more than 20X faster and uses over an order of magnitude less memory than previously published methods. Additionally, TOXIFY is more accurate, precise, and sensitive at classifying venom proteins. Availability: https://www.github.com/tijeco/toxify

Near Fatal Fire Ant Envenomation of a Newborn

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 90 (4) ◽  
pp. 622-624
Author(s):  
WILLUAM E. HARDWICK ◽  
JAMES A. ROYALL ◽  
BRUCE A. PETITT ◽  
SAMUEL J. TILDEN
Keyword(s):  
Solenopsis Invicta ◽  
Fire Ants ◽  
Fire Ant ◽  
Port City ◽  
Southern States ◽  
South Central ◽  
Solenopsis Richteri ◽  
Central United States ◽  
Imported Fire Ants ◽  
Venom Hypersensitivity

Imported fire ants, Solenopsis richteri and Solenopsis invicta, are menacing health hazards for the 20 to 30 million people who live in the fire ant-infested regions of the southeastern and south central United States. In the early 1900s, fire ants were brought into the port city of Mobile, Alabama, on vegetation and produce from South America. Their aggressive behavior compared to native ants and the favorable climate throughout the southeast allowed extensive spread. In 1985 it was estimated that fire ants infested approximately 250 million acres in eleven southern states and Puerto Rico.1 In infested areas fire ants account for 90% of all ant populations and stings from fire ants are more frequent than stings from other hymenoptera, becoming the most common cause of insect venom hypersensitivity.

Hymenopteran Pests: Family Formicidae

2020 ◽  
pp. 317-331
Author(s):  
Patricia J. Vittum
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Sandy Soils ◽  
The United States ◽  
Fire Ants ◽  
Fire Ant ◽  
Red Imported Fire Ant ◽  
The Many ◽  
Surrounding Areas ◽  
Water Holding ◽  
Imported Fire Ant

This chapter explores the many species of ants, order Hymenoptera, family Formicidae, which invade turfgrass areas throughout the United States. The subfamily Formicinae includes many ants found on turf. The fire ants are by far the most important and common pest ants of turfgrass in the southeastern states. Ants are primarily troublesome in turfgrass areas because they build mounds as they form subterranean homes for their colonies. They seek out drier, well-drained sandy soils that have low water-holding capacity. The galleries they form, which damage roots, add to the desiccation of the soil, and the turf in the surrounding areas becomes thin and unsightly. Mounds of various sizes and shapes, formed according to the habits of the ant species, are often detrimental to mower blades. The chapter then looks at the red imported fire ant, the turfgrass ant, and the harvester ant.

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