Bdellovibrios, potential biocontrol bacteria against pathogenic Aeromonas hydrophila

Recent studies have revealed that the use of bdellovibrios is an alternative to control bacteriosis. However, no bdellovibrios are available against Aeromonas hydrophila infections in sturgeons. In the present study, a potential Bdellovibrio strain F16 was isolated from sturgeon gut samples, using a sturgeon-pathogenic A. hydrophila as the prey bacterium. It was initially identified as a Bdellovibrio strain using morphological characteristics and specific PCR amplification, and confirmed to be Bdellovibrio sp. strain ETB (GenBank Accession No. DQ302728) and Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus strain SRA9 (GenBank Accession No. AF263833) by phylogenetic analysis. In addition, it was shown to be safe for mammalians and sturgeons, had a wide prey range, and exhibited significant bacteriolytic effects on the pathogenic A. hydrophila. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on a promising gut Bdellovibrio strain against pathogenic A. hydrophila.