2023/07/01 by M. Mozammel Hoque, Gustavo Espinoza-Vergara, Diane McDougald · 1 voice · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Environmental Science · #Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria #Parasite Biology and Host Interactions #Vibrio bacteria research studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/femsre/fuad040
openalex publication_date 2023/07/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/15
Protozoa are eukaryotic organisms that play a crucial role in nutrient cycling and maintaining balance in the food web. Predation, symbiosis and parasitism are three types of interactions between protozoa and bacteria. However, not all bacterial species are equally susceptible to protozoan predation as many are capable of defending against predation in numerous ways and may even establish either a symbiotic or parasitic life-style. Biofilm formation is one such mechanism by which bacteria can survive predation. Structural and chemical components of biofilms enhance resistance to predation compared to their planktonic counterparts. Predation on biofilms gives rise to phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity in prey that leads to trade-offs in virulence in other eukaryotes. Recent advances, using molecular and genomics techniques, allow us to generate new information about the interactions of protozoa and biofilms of prey bacteria. This review presents the current state of the field on impacts of protozoan predation on biofilms. We provide an overview of newly gathered insights into (i) molecular mechanisms of predation resistance in biofilms, (ii) phenotypic and genetic diversification of prey bacteria, and (iii) evolution of virulence as a consequence of protozoan predation on biofilms.