Bacterivore

Bacterivores are free-living, generally heterotrophic organisms, exclusively microscopic, which obtain energy and nutrients primarily or entirely from the consumption of bacteria. Many species of amoeba are bacterivores, as well as other types of protozoans. In common all species of bacteria will be prey. But spores of some species like "Clostridium perfringens" will never be prey, because of their cellular attributes.

Bacteriovores in Microbiology

In Watermicrobiology some samples were collected to give some information about habitate microorganisms. Most of the probes of freshwater can be contaminated with bacterivores. By adding cycloheximide, the bacteriovores will be inhibited and the bacteria will raise up normally. For bacteria adsorbed to sediment 2 g cycloheximide per 100 g sediment will be added. For experiments with spores (for example spores of "C. perfringes"), it is not necessesary to add cycloheximide to the samples.

ome Known Bacterivores

*"Ceriodaphnia quadrangula"
*"Diaphanosoma brachyura"
* Vorticella
* Paramecium
* Many species of Protozoa

References

*Davies, Cheryl M. et al: "Survival of Fecal Microorganisms in Marine and Freshwater Sediments", 1995, [http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=167451&blobtype=pdf PDF]