Predatory Bacteria: A Novel Approach to Antibiotic Substitution

Abstract

Antibiotics are an effective means of treating infectious bacterial diseases. However, the extensive use of antibiotics in the recent past has resulted in antibiotic-resistant bacteria which interfere with disease treatment and recovery. There is an urgent need for novel medicines to treat Gram-negative infections because there are not enough antibiotics in development to address projected and present demands. One novel approach to antibiotic alternatives is the use of living predatory bacteria which can naturally prey upon other Gram-negative bacteria. These predators are ubiquitous in a wide variety of manmade and natural environments and depending upon their feeding habits are classified as obligatory or facultative predators. All the obligate predators are classified under the umbrella terminology Bdellovibrio and like organisms (BALOs). Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is by far the most studied BALOs and have long been recognized as a potential therapeutic, water clean-up, and biocontrol agent and source for discovering novel biotechnological tools for research. Antibiotics won’t be replaced by pills containing predatory microorganisms any time soon. However, understanding these bacteria could help us prepare for a time when many medications cannot treat infections that are multi-drug resistant. A paradigm change is necessary since it may appear counterintuitive to cure a bacterial infection by giving another bacterium. The burden of an infection on the host must be taken into account while evaluating the prospective implications of treating a Gram-negative bacterial infection with the administration of a live predatory bacterium.