Ants in a hospital environment and their potential as mechanical bacterial vectors.

INTRODUCTION We studied the richness and abundance of ant species, their bacteria and the bacteria isolated from patient clinical samples. METHODS Ants were collected with baited traps at 64 sites in a public hospital in São Luis, State of Maranhão, Brazil. RESULTS In total, 1,659 ants from 14 species were captured. The most frequent species were Crematogaster victima, Solenopsis saevissima, Tapinoma melanocephalum, Camponotus vittatus and Paratrechina fulva. Forty-one species of bacteria were isolated from the ants and 18 from patients. CONCLUSIONS Ants are potential vehicles for pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria, and they can represent a risk factor in nosocomial infections.