The Predatory Bacteria, Bdellovibrio and Like Organisms (BALOs): An Emerging Savior for Human Welfare

Abstract

Bdellovibrio and like organisms (BALOs) are capable of killing other Gram negative pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria dwelling in a diverse environmental niches such as soil, freshwater and ocean. The predatory nature of BALOs can be a viable alternative to conventional use of to treat ocular, periodontal, respiratory and fish pathogen infections since the incessant use develops resistance against them. Unique property such as potential to survive in ecologically hazardous pollutants can be used in altering the ecological balance. Bacterial predation has also been proposed to play an important role in maintaining the biodiversity in the environment where they reside. Use of BALOs termed as live antibiotics in the control of human, animal, plant, food and environmental pathogens will be a novel approach. Bdellovibrio strains are in use to control diverse Gram negative bacteria including Salmonella sp, the most serious food pathogen. The highest number of protease genes reported per unit genome of Bdellovibrio is responsible for producing variety of bacterially derived proteins that can be used in basic research and industry. The focus of the current review is to unravel the hidden possible potentials of BALOs in the field of agriculture, environment, food preservation, veterinary and human medicine. Keywords: Bdellovibrio, p redatory bacteria, ocular infections, Salmonella sp Cite this Article Santhanam Selvaraj, Palaniswami Rajendran. The Predatory Bacteria, Bdellovibrio and Like Organisms (BALOs): An Emerging Savior for Human Welfare. Research & Reviews: A Journal of Microbiology and Virology . 2018; 8(3): 19–33p.