Characterization of the first highly predatory from Iran and its potential lytic activity against principal pathogenic .

Objectives: -and-like organisms (BALOs) are predatory prokaryotes that attack and kill other Gram-negative bacteria for growth and reproduction. This study describes the isolation, identification, biological properties, and bacteriolytic activity of the first with a broad prey range from Iran.

Materials And Methods: One BALO strain with high predatory potency was isolated from the rhizosphere soil using Enteropathogenic as prey. It was identified and designated as strain SOIR-1 through plaque assays, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), -specific PCRs, and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Biological characterization and analysis of bacteriolytic activity were also performed.

Results: TEM and -specific PCRs confirmed that the strain SOIR-1 belongs to the genus . Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed its close phylogenetic relationship with strains of . The strain SOIR-1 grew within the temperature range of 25-37 C and the pH range of 6.0-8.0, with the optimal predatory activity at 30 C and pH 7.4. It had the highest and lowest bacteriolytic activity toward and with a killing rate of 89.66% and 74.83%, respectively.

Conclusion: Considering the hypothesis of bdellovibrios heterogeneity, identification of new isolates contributes to a deeper understanding of their diversity, their ecological roles, and their promising potential as living antibiotics or biocontrol agents. Bdellovibrios with broad bacteriolytic nature has not previously been reported in sufficient detail from Iran. The results of this study showed the great potential of native strain SOIR-1 in the control and treatment of diseases caused by pathogenic .