Predatory bacteria

Predatory interactions are ubiquitous in nature. They do not only exist between animals, they also occur between microbes.

Predatory bacteria are widely distributed, they are diverse, and they exhibit a variety of hunting strategies.

                                            Among them, the Bdellovibrio and like organisms (BALOs) form a fascinating group of                                                        organisms: they are obligate predatory bacteria of gram-negative cells and have unusual                                                      life cycles. We study their ecology and what controls their life cycle, trying to understand                                                   the relationship between cellular and population-level processes. With that knowledge, we                                                 are investigating applications to fight-off pathogens and to control microbial biomass.

 

                                           

The obligate predatory lifestyle

BALO cells shift from a free living, highly motile and non-replicating state to a sessile, prey-bound growth and division state after externally binding to or after invading a prey cell.  We study mechanisms by which the predator recognizes the prey, how its cell cycle and metabolism communicate to achieve the exploitation of guarded "quantum" packets of food (prey cells).  Although defined as “obligate”, BALOs can spontaneously mutate to host-independent forms, growing as “regular” bacteria in rich media. We are investigating how this occurs and the ecological significance of this ability.

The ecology of bacterial predators

BALOs are found in many habitats. They are present in most terrestrial and aquatic environments. We study their diversity and with whom they interact (who preys on whom), and how the physical, chemical and biological environment affects predation. For example, we examine how spatial structure, sympatric habitats, medium content, starvation, prey and non-prey affect predation dynamics and predator survival.

 

Bacterial predators to fight-off pathogens

BALOs, as microbial predators are potential biocontrol agents against pathogenic bacteria. We explore this potential against plant pathogens like soft-rots. We are also interesting to test the use of BALOs for disruption the gut microbiota of insect agricultural insects.