EcologybioRxivPreprint
What makes a society dead: accumulation of uric acid increases infectious disease risk in termites
Takao Konishi, Masaaki Nakashima, Tomonari Nozaki…·Kenji Matsuura
The paper shows that uric acid accumulation in termite workers increases their susceptibility to infectious diseases by reducing reactive oxygen species levels, linking colony health to individual antioxidant balance.
DOI 10.1101/2025.04.23.650172