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Bacterivore

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Abacterivoreis an organism which obtains energy and nutrients primarily or entirely from the consumption ofbacteria.The term is most commonly used to describe free-living,heterotrophic,microscopicorganisms such asnematodesas well as many species ofamoebaand numerous other types ofprotozoans,but some macroscopic invertebrates are also bacterivores, includingsponges,polychaetes,and certainmolluscsandarthropods.Many bacterivorous organisms are adapted for generalist predation on any species of bacteria, but not all bacteria are easily digested; the spores of some species, such asClostridium perfringens,will never be prey because of their cellular attributes.

In microbiology[edit]

Bacterivores can sometimes be a problem inmicrobiologystudies. For instance, when scientists seek to assess microorganisms in samples from the environment (such as freshwater), the samples are often contaminated with microscopic bacterivores, which interfere with the growing of bacteria for study. Addingcycloheximidecan inhibit the growth of bacterivores without affecting some bacterial species,[1]but it has also been shown to inhibit the growth of some anaerobic prokaryotes.[2]

Examples of bacterivores[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Ennis, H. L.; Lubin, M. (1964-12-11). "Cycloheximide: Aspects of Inhibition of Protein Synthesis in Mammalian Cells".Science.146(3650): 1474–1476.Bibcode:1964Sci...146.1474E.doi:10.1126/science.146.3650.1474.ISSN0036-8075.PMID14208575.S2CID22809638.
  2. ^Tremaine, Sarah C. Mills, Aaron L. (1987)."Inadequacy of the Eucaryote Inhibitor Cycloheximide in Studies of Protozoan Grazing on Bacteria at the Freshwater-Sediment Interface".Applied and Environmental Microbiology.53(8): 1969–72.Bibcode:1987ApEnM..53.1969T.doi:10.1128/AEM.53.8.1969-1972.1987.OCLC679536002.PMC204037.PMID16347423.{{cite journal}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^Wehrl M, Steinert M, Hentschel U. Bacterial uptake by the marine sponge Aplysina aerophoba. Microb Ecol. 2007 Feb;53(2):355-65. doi: 10.1007/s00248-006-9090-4. PMID 17265004.
  • Davies, Cheryl M. et al.:Survival of Fecal Microorganisms in Marine and Freshwater Sediments,1995,PDF