Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus Predation in Dual-Species Biofilms of E. coli Prey and M. luteus Decoys

Biofilms are matrix-enclosed microbial communities that grow at interfaces. They are highly robust and exhibit significant phenotypic changes that render them resistant to many antibacterial agents that can kill their freeswimming counterparts. Researchers have tried to find an effective, alternative and bio-friendly way to eliminate biofilms. Previous investigations in this group demonstrated that Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus, a small gramnegative predatory bacterium that consumes other gram-negative bacteria, could eventually eradicate a single-species E. coli biofilm in some conditions. These results suggest the potential value of B. bacteriovorus in biofilm eradication in industrial, medical and environmental contexts. Biofilms in the environment can consist of either a single or multiple microbial species including both gram-negative bacteria and gram-positive bacteria. Here we investigated the potential of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus to interact with and remove multi-species biofilms, specifically dual-species biofilms of gram-negative E. coli prey and gram-positive M. luteus decoy at interfaces betwee is more, less, or equally susceptible to B. bacteriovorus attack compared to their single-species counterparts.