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Two Predators, One Prey - the Interaction Between Bacteriophage, Bacterivorous Ciliates, and Escherichia coli
Rendani Bridghette Bulannga1, Stefan Schmidt2
1Discipline of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Pietermaritzburg, 3209, South Africa.
Microbial Ecology
|February 1, 2023
Summary
Bacterivorous ciliates like Paramecium and Tetrahymena significantly reduce bacteriophages and bacteria in aquatic environments. These ciliates can also help transmit phages, impacting microbial interactions.
Area of Science:
- Aquatic Microbiology
- Microbial Ecology
- Virology
Background:
- Bacterivorous ciliates and lytic bacteriophages are key aquatic predators competing for bacterial prey.
- Understanding their interactions is crucial for aquatic ecosystem dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the interaction between bacterivorous ciliates and lytic bacteriophages.
- To determine the influence of these microorganisms on each other's activity.
Main Methods:
- Utilized two bacterivorous ciliates (Paramecium sp. RB1, Tetrahymena sp. RB2).
- Employed a T4-like Escherichia coli bacteriophage as the model virus.
- Used E. coli ATCC 25922 as the bacterial host and prey.
- Assessed the impact of phage presence on ciliate growth and grazing activity.
Main Results:
- Ciliate grazing reduced phage titer and bacterial cell numbers by over 99%.
- Viable phage particles were recovered from ciliates after filtration, indicating survival.
- Phage ingestion may offer a minor nutrient source for ciliates.
Conclusions:
- Ciliates effectively remove bacteriophages and their bacterial hosts from aquatic systems.
- Ciliate-phage interactions can contribute to bacteriophage transmission in aquatic environments.
- This study highlights the complex interplay between ciliates, phages, and bacteria in aquatic ecosystems.
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