The incidence of Bdellovibrio spp. in man‐made water systems: coexistence with legionellas

Abstract

Bdellovibrios have been isolated from surface waters but there are no reports of its occurrence in mains water supplies. One hundred and thirty five water samples from 81 sources were examined for the presence of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus and Legionella spp. Bdellovibrios were isolated by a double-layer agar technique with two strains of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 as the host organisms. Bdellovibrio spp. were isolated from 57.8% and Legionella spp. from 9.5% of the samples. The two species occurred together in 4.4% of samples. The incidence of Bdellovibrio spp. and its occurrence with legionellas in man-made water systems is discussed.

The dual probiotic and antibiotic nature of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus

“…After their initial discovery, Bdellovibrios were isolated from various habitats and found to be widely distributed in aquatic and terrestrial environments (6)(7)(8)(9). Since its discovery and up to the time of writing this review, more than 390 articles have been published concerning this bacterium and similar organisms.…”

Predation in the Presence of Decoys: An Inhibitory Factor on Pathogen Control by Bacteriophages or Bdellovibrios in Dense and Diverse Ecosystems

“…This lifestyle bears some similarities to that of bacteriophages, which "nd their host by di!usion, inject their genetic material, proliferate within the cell and emerge after cell lysis. Bdellovibrios occur in a wide range of habitats, ranging from lowdensity, aquatic, ecosystems (Richardson, 1990;Schoe$eld & Williams, 1990;Rice et al, 1998), to high-density ecosystems such as rhyzosphere soil communities (Elsherif & Grossmann, 1996) and the gut #ora of some vertebrates (Imbragimov, 1980). There are indications that they may associate with surface bio"lms in aquatic environments (Kelley et al, 1997).…”

The Obligate Predatory Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus Possesses a Neutral Lipid A Containing α-D-Mannoses That Replace Phosphate Residues

“…soil, marine sediments, rhizosphere of plants, sewage, etc. (1)(2)(3)(4). In the latter environment it was found that Bdellovibrionaceae are involved in the reduction of bacterial counts thus supporting the self-purification of domestic waste waters (4,5).…”

“…(1)(2)(3)(4). In the latter environment it was found that Bdellovibrionaceae are involved in the reduction of bacterial counts thus supporting the self-purification of domestic waste waters (4,5). Furthermore, Bdellovibrionaceae were found in the intestinal tract of mammals and might be important for the reduction of pathogenic bacteria in this environment (6,7).…”