Wasp drinks to self-medicate
Wasps can tell when a parasite infiltrates their body, and to get rid of the unwelcome organism they seek out a type of nectar that’s not only a sweet source of food, but a pretty potent anti-parasite medicine, says Discover magazine. The collection of compounds responsible for the decline in parasites (including nicotine) can cut the infection by 50%. The use of medicine can no longer be considered a solely human trait. Animals also use various chemicals to self-medicate and to treat peers and offspring, usually to fight off and prevent infection. Medication can be taken either in response to an active infection or to prevent future parasitic attacks. Fruit flies lay their eggs in more alcoholic fruit (produced by natural fermentation) when parasitic wasps are hanging around, increased blood-alcohol content causes the wasp maggot parasites living in their blood to die in a particularly gruesome way, by having their internal organs evert outside their bodies through their anuses. Ants have also been found to “medicate” their colonies against infection, bringing back chemicals with antifungal properties. And monarch butterflies fight parasites by laying their eggs in toxic milkweed plants.
