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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2011 14:12:22 GMT 1
Can ants get STD's? ?
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Post by Myrm on Feb 23, 2011 15:10:04 GMT 1
Can ants get STD's? ? I assume we're talking about Sexually Transmitted Diseases? Gosh, that is an unusual question, INBL. I don't think they do in the same sense that you could if you were not careful, but I will see what I can find out for you if you really are interested.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2011 15:12:50 GMT 1
Unless it doesn't really do much, I don't think it could survive. Ants only mate one day in their life, and if all ants with the disease then die within a year they wouldn't be able to pass it on.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2011 15:18:04 GMT 1
Well billy can you not carry a disease and not be affected by it? Im not well experienced in biogolgy but I think you can eg the plaguee was carry by fleas but only affected humans???
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2011 15:20:41 GMT 1
Yes, you can carry a parasite, infection or virus which you are not affected by, but that isn't really a disease if it doesn't affect you, is it?
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Post by Myrm on Feb 23, 2011 15:24:31 GMT 1
Unless it doesn't really do much, I don't think it could survive. Ants only mate one day in their life, and if all ants with the disease then die within a year they wouldn't be able to pass it on. Vary true, but what about if the disease caused the male to produce inactive/deformed/dead sperm? He would mate with the queen, deposit millions of useless sperm within the queen and die. The queen could end up not being able to fertilise any eggs. Or the eggs/workers produced could be deformed or die soon after eclosing.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2011 15:37:21 GMT 1
...and the disease would die with the ants, surely? But anyway, wouldn't unfertilized eggs develop into males?
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Post by Myrm on Feb 23, 2011 15:40:36 GMT 1
...and the disease would die with the ants, surely? But anyway, wouldn't unfertilized eggs develop into males? Yes, she would produce males and they could be affected. Generally though the colony would not survive without workers, therefore the disease has affected more than 2 ants (the original male and queen).
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2011 15:41:48 GMT 1
But then they would not be able to pass it on by mating, and the disease would become extinct.
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Post by Myrm on Feb 23, 2011 15:45:43 GMT 1
But then they would not be able to pass it on by mating, and the disease would become extinct. Oh, Billy, stop being so narrow-minded. Not all diseases kill; they can cause other detrimental effects that can be passed on to successful generations of males. It could be something that does not affect males but causes proplems with workers but is carried by males.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2011 15:50:56 GMT 1
Billy you seem to think that it would be impossible.....do you know how long aids can be in you sytem before you die?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2011 15:55:33 GMT 1
It could be transfered by the workers????Maybe the aphids carry it and then the queen gets it through honey dew???But that would be a SDT I think as it is through body fluids??would that count as a STD???
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Post by Myrm on Feb 23, 2011 16:01:30 GMT 1
It could be transfered by the workers????Maybe the aphids carry it and then the queen gets it through honey dew???But that would be a SDT I think as it is through body fluids??would that count as a STD??? INBL, anything that is transmitted sexually could be classed as an STD. I think people are thinking of the more common STD's found in humans; HIV, gonorhoea, syphillis, etc. You need to get away from that mindset and think broader.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2011 16:06:14 GMT 1
Well most likely if they do have STD's they don't have named ones otherwise we would know if they had them as they have to be found to be named
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2011 16:36:14 GMT 1
I don't think it's impossible, but I do think it's very unlikely. Why would a disease evolve to make the colony less efficient, thus decreasing the amount of queens and males produced yearly?
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