Predatory Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus are natural antimicrobial organisms, killing other bacteria by whole-cell invasion. Self-protection against prey-metabolizing enzymes is important for the evolution of predation. Initial prey entry involves the predator's peptidoglycan DD-endopeptidases, which decrosslink cell walls and prevent wasteful entry by a second predator. Here we identify and charac...

Bdellovibrios are Gram-negative bacteria that are characterized by predatory behavior. Although Bdellovibrios exhibit an obligatory parasitic life cycle, it is possible to isolate Bdellovibrio variants that no longer require host cells for their growth. In this study, a new method for isolating Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus host-independent (HI) variants was developed. Filtered B. bacteriovorus pr...

Symbiosis-independent (Sin) mutants were isolated from the symbiosis-dependent and symbiosis-competent (Sdcomp+) Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus 109J. Independently isolated Sin mutants were examined for their symbiosis competence and most were found to be comp+. Bdellovibrios comp- were selected from the Sincomp+ mutants. The Sincomp+ bdellovibrios are always at a selective disadvantage, either aga...

Soil is a microenvironment with a fragmented (patchy) spatial structure in which many bacterial species interact. Here, we explore the interaction between the predatory bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus and its prey Escherichia coli in microfabricated landscapes. We ask how fragmentation influences the prey dynamics at the microscale and compare two landscape geometries: a patchy landscape a...

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is a Gram-negative bacterium that is a pathogen of other Gram-negative bacteria, including many bacteria which are pathogens of humans, animals and plants. As such Bdellovibrio has potential as a biocontrol agent, or living antibiotic. B. bacteriovorus HD100 has a large genome and it is not yet known which of it encodes the molecular machinery and genetic control of p...

A phage infective for Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus was isolated. Electron microscopy revealed that it is tail-less, has a hexagonal appearance and two distinct capsomere layers, and is 60 to 70 nm in size. The nucleic acid appears to be single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid. This is the first report of the isolation of a phage infective for B. bacteriovorus.

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus bacteria are predatory organisms that attack other gram-negative bacteria. Here, we report that Bd0714 is a Nudix dGTPase from B. bacteriovorus HD100 with a substrate specificity similar to that of Escherichia coli MutT and complements an E. coli mutT-deficient strain. We observed different transcription levels of the gene throughout the predator life cycle.

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 ...

Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is a δ-proteobacterium that preys upon Salmonella spp., E. coli, and other Gram-negative bacteria. Bdellovibrio can grow axenically (host-independent, HI, rare and mutation-driven) or subsist via a predatory lifecycle (host-dependent, HD, the usual case). Upon contact with prey, B. bacteriovorus enters the host periplasm from where it slowly drains the host cytosol of...

INTRODUCTION Members of the human intestinal microbiota are key players in maintaining human health. Alterations in the composition of gut microbial community (dysbiosis) have been linked with important human diseases. Understanding the underlying processes that control community structure, including the bacterial interactions within the microbiota itself, is essential. Bdellovibrio bacteriovor...