Avicenna Journal of Environmental Health Engineering (Dec 2015)
The Potential of Bdellovibrio For the Biocontrol of the Infectious Agent Vibrio cholerae
Abstract
Members of the genus Bdellovibrio are small and highly motile Gram-negative predators of other Gram-negative bacteria. Bdellovibrio enters the prey cell, transforming it into a structure that is referred to as a bdelloplast. It then grows and divides inside the bdelloplast, ending in lysis and the release of the Bdellovibrio progeny. Because of this capability, Bdellovibrio is a potential antibacterial agent. In this article, we report the results of studies on the interactions of Bdellovibrio with actively growing and viable but nonculturable (VBNC) Vibrio cholerae. A significant observation was that Bdellovibrio attacked both VBNC and actively growing V. cholerae. These results indicate that Bdellovibrio, a “living antibiotic,” has potential as an antibacterial agent in environmental and public health bioprotection.