Antimicrobial effect of Dinoponera quadriceps (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) venom against Staphylococcus aureus strains

Abstract

Aims: Dinoponera quadriceps venom (DqV) was examined to evaluate the antibacterial activity and its bactericidal action mechanism against Staphylococcus aureus. Methods and Results: DqV was tested against a standard strain of methicillinsensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), Staph. aureus ATCC 6538P and two standard strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Staph. aureus ATCC 33591 and Staph. aureus CCBH 5330. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), the rate of kill and pH sensitivity of the DqV were determined by microdilution tests. Bactericidal and inhibitory concentrations of DqV were tested to check its action on Staph. aureus membrane permeability and cell morphology. The MIC and MBC of DqV were 6Á25 and 12Á5 lg ml À1 forStaph. aureus ATCC 6538P, 12Á5 and 50 lg ml À1 for Staph. aureus CCBH 5330 and 100 and 100 lg ml À1 for Staph. aureus ATCC 33591, respectively.Complete bacterial growth inhibition was observed after 4 h of incubation with the MBC of DqV. A lowest MIC was observed in alkaline pH. Alteration in membrane permeability was observed through the increase in crystal violet uptake, genetic material release and morphology in atomic force microscopy. Conclusions:The results suggest antibacterial activity of DqV against Staph. aureus and that the venom acts in the cell membrane. Significance and Impact of the Study: Alteration in membrane permeability may be associated with the antimicrobial activity of hymenopteran venoms.

Identification of a Sorbicillinoid-Producing Aspergillus Strain with Antimicrobial Activity Against Staphylococcus aureus: a New Polyextremophilic Marine Fungus from Barents Sea

“…The following human pathogens were used in this work: Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA01 (Alonso et al 1999), Staphylococcus aureus 6538P (Lima et al 2014), Klebsiella pneumoniae DF12SA (Shahi et al 2013), Acinetobacter baumannii Ab13 (Poirel et al 2008), Burkholderia cenocepacia LMG 16656 and Burkholderia metallica LMG 24068 (Soriano et al 2009). The strains were routinely grown at 37°C in LB medium.…”

Proteomic Analysis of the Venom from the Ruby Ant Myrmica rubra and the Isolation of a Novel Insecticidal Decapeptide

“…Some examples of these peptides are ponericins from the predatory ant Pachycondyla goeldii (reclassified as Neoponera goeldii ) [12,13], dinoponeratoxins from the giant neotropical hunting ant Dinoponera australis [14] or bicarinalin from the ant Tetramorium bicarinatum [15]. Such compounds are frequently entitled as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) due to their activity against a broad spectrum of pathogens, especially bacteria [12,15,16,17,18]. In addition to antimicrobial activity, these linear peptides, even if they belong to the same structural family can display different activities such as cytolytic, hemolytic, and insecticidal activity [3,8].…”

Anticonvulsant Effects of Fractions Isolated from Dinoponera quadriceps (Kempt) Ant Venom (Formicidae: Ponerinae)

“…Cologna et al [ 25 ] evaluated the antimicrobial activity of four peptides from the venom, and two of them showed activity against Gram-positive and -negative bacteria. Corroborating those data, Lima et al [ 67 ] reported the antimicrobial activity of the crude venom against methicillin-sensitive and resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains. The same researchers also reported the antiparasitic effects of the venom against Leishmania amazonensis and Trypanosoma cruzi [ 68 ].…”