425: Paired Predators Prevent Pathogen Persistence

This episode: This episode: A bacteriophage and bacterial
predator can wipe out a population of bacteria that could develop
resistance to each individually!


Thanks to Laura Hobley, J. Kimberley Summers, and Jan-Ulrich
Kreft for their contributions!


 


Also a note: I will be taking a short break from podcasts while I
rebuild my collection of awesome microbiology stories to talk
about.


Download Episode (6.8 MB, 9.9 minutes)

Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Blackbird associated gemycircularvirus
1

Takeaways



Bacteriophages and bacterial predators that prey on other
bacteria are both very good at killing large numbers of
bacteria. But bacteria as a whole are also very good at
surviving being killed in large numbers; there are almost
always a few that have the right genes to overcome whatever is
doing the killing. This is what makes the threat of antibiotic
resistance so scary, and why phage therapy is both very
promising and very limited.


 


In this study, however, a combination of phages and the
bacterial predator Bdellovibrio bacteriovorans is able to
completely eradicate a population of bacteria, or at least
reduce their numbers below a detectable level. A mathematical
model based on these data predicts that despite the two killers
working independently, they can effectively eliminate all the
individual prey organisms that would otherwise be able to
resist killing by either one alone.




Journal Paper:
Hobley L, Summers JK, Till R, Milner DS, Atterbury RJ, Stroud A,
Capeness MJ, Gray S, Leidenroth A, Lambert C, Connerton I,
Twycross J, Baker M, Tyson J, Kreft J-U, Sockett RE. 2020. Dual
Predation by Bacteriophage and Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus Can
Eradicate Escherichia coli Prey in Situations where Single
Predation Cannot. J Bacteriol 202.


Other interesting stories:



Combination of beneficial bacteria could substitute for
fertilizer somewhat (paper)

Gut bacteria turn broccoli molecules into potentially
healthy compounds




 


Email questions or comments to bacteriofiles at gmail dot
com. Thanks for listening!


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