Myxobacteria from soil can substantially reduce the bacterial load in a wound infection model.

Aims: Myxobacteria are non-pathogenic, saprophytic, soil-dwelling predatory bacteria known for their antimicrobial potential. Many pathogenic bacteria form biofilms to protect themselves from antimicrobial agents and the immune system. This study has investigated the predatory activities of myxobacteria against pathogenic bacteria in biofilms.

Methods and results: A total of 50 soil samples were collected in and around Cardiff, South Wales (UK). Using a baiting method with 6 prey organisms, 32 myxobacteria were isolated and identified by 16S rRNA sequencing, of which 18 were Myxococcus spp. and 14 were Corallococcus spp. Predation assays, biofilm inhibition and disruption assays, and a dynamic, polymicrobial wound biofilm model were used with live myxobacteria to assess efficacy of predation. Good activity in predation assays was observed against Escherichia coli, while Enterococcus faecalis was more recalcitrant to myxobacteria. Staphylococcus aureus and Citrobacter freundii were significantly (P < 0.05) reduced in both biofilm inhibition and disruption assays compared to other pathogens. Considerable reductions (>3 log10 CFU) in the wound infection model were seen after 96 h of incubation, particularly for C. freundii and E. coli.

Conclusion: Using live predatory bacteria as an alternative therapeutic agent has received attention in the recent past to combat the problem of antimicrobial resistance. Myxobacteria isolated from soil using multiple prey organisms yielded diverse isolates, including strains which exhibited therapeutically promising activities in a variety of infection/biofilm assays.