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Home Industry News Predatory bacteria ‘could be used as a living antibiotic’

Predatory bacteria ‘could be used as a living antibiotic’

24th November 2016

A predatory bacterium could potentially be used as a means of combating antibiotic-resistant infections, according to a new study.

Researchers from Imperial College London and Nottingham University have found that the naturally-occurring Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus bacterium can work with the immune system to clear multi-drug-resistant Shigella infections.

To investigate this, zebrafish larvae were injected with a lethal dose of the Shigella flexneri strain M90T, which is known to be resistant to both streptomycin and carbenicillin antibiotics, with Bdellovibrio then injected into the infection site.

A decrease in the number of Shigella was seen in cases where Bdellovibrio was used, whereas in its absence, the zebrafish were unable to control the replication of Shigella and the infection grew more severe.

It was also shown that Bdellovibrio reduced pathogen loads in zebrafish with compromised immune systems, though survival was significantly greater in immune-competent specimens, showing that the greatest benefit was seen when the bacteria was able to work cooperatively with the immune system. 

Co-lead author Dr Serge Mostowy, from the department of medicine at Imperial College London, said: "It's an important milestone in research into the use of a living antibiotic that could be used in animals and humans."

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