Abstract

LUTINSKI, JUNIR ANTONIO et al. Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in hospitals of southern Brazil. Rev. Colomb. Entomol. [online]. 2015, vol.41, n.2, pp.235-240. ISSN 0120-0488.

Ants are among the organisms best adapted to urban environments. Those found in hospital settings have received much attention and have been described as important vectors of pathogenic organisms. This study aimed to compare the richness and abundance of ants in four hospitals in southern Brazil and to analyze the association of species in different hospitals environments. Four types of environments were sampled: wards of intensive care units (iCU's), nutrition centers, infirmaries, and warehouses. The sample richness in each of the four areas was compared using a rarefaction analysis based on number of occurrences. To assess the association between ant species and hospital environments, a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was constructed. Twenty (20) species were identified. The nutrition sector was the environment with the highest richness (S = 14), followed by infirmaries (S = 7), warehouses (S = 7), and ICU wards (S = 4). Five species were associated with the environments evaluated, among them, Monomorium pharaonis and Nylanderia fulva. These results may serve as a warning to hospital authorities about the risks of mechanical transmission of pathogenic agents by ants in hospital environments.

Keywords : Vector control; Hospital infection; Infestation; Nylanderia; Public health.

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