Urban ants and transportation of nosocomial bacteria

Urban ants and transportation of nosocomial bacteria.

Many ant species displaying synanthropic behavior that have successfully dispersed in urban areas can cause problems in hospitals by acting as bacterial vectors. In this study, we encountered bacteria on ants collected at the Universidade Federal de Uberlândia hospital, in the campus and at households nearby. The ants were identified as Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius) and Camponotus vittatu...

On Ants, Bacteria and Dynamic Environments

Wasps, bees, ants and termites all make effective use of their environment and resources by displaying collective “swarm” intelligence. Termite colonies – for instance build nests with a complexity far beyond the comprehension of the individual termite, while ant colonies dynamically allocate labor to various vital tasks such as foraging or defense without any central decision-making ability. R...

On Ants , Bacteria and Dynamic Environments

Wasps, bees, ants and termites all make effective use of their environment and resources by displaying collective “swarm” intelligence. Termite colonies – for instance build nests with a complexity far beyond the comprehension of the individual termite, while ant colonies dynamically allocate labor to various vital tasks such as foraging or defense without any central decision-making ability. R...

Urban Transportation and Land Use

This chapter is an introduction to the economics of the connection between urban transportation and land use. The nature of the transportation system strongly influences the patterns of land use in an urban area. Indeed, the long-run histories of urban areas sometimes are identified with the dominant mode of transportation of the time; the age of rail, the age of the automobile, and so on. Supp...

Airborne Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria: Hospital Indoor Air Pollution and the Challenge of Nosocomial Infection