La Trobe University researchers have been studying the novel bacterium Mycosynbacter amalyticus — dubbed "microbial dark matter" by scientists —after discovering it has the power to disrupt other bacteria.
Co-lead researcher Dr. Steve Petrovski, Associate Professor in Microbial Genetics in the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment at La Trobe, said his team investigated how this parasitic organism might impact the role of the bacteria Gordonia amarae, which causes problematic foaming in wastewater.
The research shows the killer bacteria offers an attractive way to control foaming in wastewater without harmful chemicals
Foaming in wastewater interrupts the treatment process and costs industry a significant amount of money to control using environmentally damaging chemicals.
Dr. Petrovski said Gordonia amarae contains mycolic acid in its cell walls, which makes it hydrophobic and able to stabilize foam in water.
In their latest research, published in Nature Communications, they discovered that the parasitic Mycosynbacter amalyticus attaches itself to the mycolic acid on Gordonia amarae, killing it.
Importantly, they found that in response, Gordonia amarae would mutate without the mycolic acid to avoid the parasitic organism, but the new version no longer had the mycolic acid — thereby permanently removing its threat to wastewater foaming.
The anatomy of M. amalyticus predation of G. amarae. Credit: Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-56933-4
Dr. Debnath Ghosal and his team from the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Melbourne helped prove this using sophisticated high-resolution microscopy.
Dr. Petrovski says the research shows the killer bacteria offers an attractive way to control foaming without harmful chemicals.
"The function of this helpful organism, which is abundant in many environments, was unknown before this research was carried out," he said.
Dr. Petrovski says the next step is to partner with a wastewater treatment plant interested in taking part in trials with the organism.
"This partnership could lead to significant advancements in wastewater treatment, and we are eager to see the potential applications of our discovery," Dr. Petrovski said.