Desulfovibrio vulgaris, biofilm formation and T3SS Inhibition

Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough is a Gram-negative sulfate-reducing bacterium (SRB). It has ability to adhere to the surfaces forming biofilm. It can seriously impact environmental sites including metal pipelines, oil repositories and radionuclide waste sites. Due to increased antibiotic resistance among bacterial pathogens, treatment for infectious diseases is getting ineffective. There should be alternative strategies to combat bacterial pathogens without disrupting the normal flora of host and bacterial growth patterns. One such effective techinique, is to interfere the type three secretion system (T3SS), observed in Gram -negative pathogens. Bacteria having T3SS use a novel virulence strategy making by injecting effector proteins directly into the host cytoplasm. Without T3SSs, many pathogenic bacteria are no longer infectious, hence correlating it with progression of infection and outcome, both in animals and humans. Hence, T3SS is an effective target for magic drugs. Multidisciplinary research by scientists has suggested various T3SS inhibitors, such as vaccines, antibiotics and salicylidene acylhydrazides. This review enlightens the importance of D. vulgaris biofilm formation and T3SS mediated inhibition making it an effective target for therapeutic and prophylactic values.