Parasites that give their hosts luxury and a long life - they really do exist.
At least with ants: Researchers at the University of Mainz have found that workers of the species Temnothorax nylanderi are much older than usual when they are infested with the larvae of a tapeworm.
The animals could then reach a lifespan similar to that of queens, which could last up to 20 years.
Sascha Zoske
Journalist in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.
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Susanne Foitzik's biologists observed the survival rates of infected and non-infected ants over a period of three years.
It was noticeable that the infected animals were lighter in color and were literally cared for by conspecifics: They are doing as well "as in the land of milk and honey," said Foitzik.
But that alone does not explain the longer life.
Apparently the tapeworm larvae changed the metabolism in such a way that the infected animals remained in a youthful stage.
The larvae secrete proteins with antioxidants and influence the activity of certain ant genes.
Link to the publication