Daniel Kadouri, Ph.D., of UMDNJ

There are predators in the bacterial world that consume other bacteria, much as predators attack prey in the animal world. A team led by researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Dental School suggests that some of these predator microbes might be put to work against disease-causing bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotics. Their findings have been published online by the Journal of Microbiology.

Lead author Daniel Kadouri, Ph.D., an assistant professor of oral biology at New Jersey Dental School, and his team focused on two bacteria: Micavibrio aeruginosavorus and Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus. Dr. Kadouri says the two microorganisms were chosen because they are true predators. "They actually have to consume other bacteria in order to complete their life cycles," notes Kadouri. "They have a great ability to seek out other bacteria, invade them, grow in or on them, and kill them."

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