Experimental and mathematical modelling to evaluate and optimize the effectiveness of the predatory bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus as an alterna

蜈蚣弧菌是一种捕食者，可以杀死包括植物、动物和人类病原体在内的其他细菌，已被提议作为抗生素的替代品。为了使用蛭弧菌，我们需要知道它能在多大程度上减少猎物的数量，以及当让它从许多潜在猎物中选择时，它是否会更喜欢某个猎物。许多被捕食物种的存在是否会导致捕食者的表现更好或更差，以及非被捕食物种的存在有多大问题？我们将通过实验研究和数学建模相结合的方式来研究这些问题。两者都将从只有一个猎物物种的简单系统开始，然后转移到有几个猎物物种的系统。这将使我们了解生物多样性增加对捕食者性能的影响。此外，我们将比较空间混合系统与空间结构系统，如生物膜，因为形成生物膜的病原体特别难以治疗。生物膜是一群紧密堆积的细菌细胞，固定在自己产生的粘性物质中。这将揭示出，与游动的单一细菌相比，捕食者是否更容易感觉到生物膜的存在。生物膜中细菌的局部密度较高，可能允许捕食者在较低的猎物总数下生存，因为潜在的猎物聚集在一个目标上。这项工作将有助于评估捕食者取代或补充抗生素使用的潜力。

The bacterium Bdellovibrio is a predator that kills other bacteria including plant, animal and human pathogens and has been proposed as an alternative to antibiotics. In order to use Bdellovibrio, we need to know how much it can reduce the population of prey and whether it would prefer certain prey when offered a choice from many potential prey. Does the presence of many prey species lead to better or worse performance of the predator, and how much of a problem is the presence of non-prey species? We will investigate these questions by a combination of experimental studies and mathematical modelling. Both will start with simple systems of only one prey species and move to systems with several prey species. This will allow us to understand the effect of increasing biodiversity on predator performance. Moreover, we will compare spatially mixed systems with spatially structured systems such as biofilms as pathogens forming biofilms are particularly difficult to treat. Biofilms are densely packed clusters of bacterial cells immobilized in a self-produced slimy substance. This will reveal whether the predator can more easily sense the presence of biofilms compared to single bacteria swimming around. The higher local density of bacteria in biofilms may allow the predator to survive at lower total prey numbers as potential prey are grouped together in one target. The work will contribute to assess the potential of predators to replace or complement the use of antibiotics.