Ben-Jacob's bacteria

Ben-Jacob's bacteria are two pattern forming social bacteria strains, the Paenibacillus dendritiformis and the Paenibacillus vortex discovered in the early 1990s by Eshel Ben-Jacob. These bacteria are widely known for their ability to generate large colonies (with the number of bacteria exceeding many folds the number of people on earth) with highly complex organization.

Ben-Jacob's bacteria belong to the Paenibacillus genus comprises facultative anaerobic, endospore-forming bacteria originally included within the genus Bacillus and then reclassified as a separate genus in 1993. Bacteria belonging to this genus have been detected in a variety of environments such as: soil, water, rhizosphere, vegetable matter, forage and insect larvae, as well as clinical samples. It is mainly found in heterogeneous and complex environments, such as soil and rhizosphere.

In recent years, there is an increasing interest in the Paenibacillus spp. since many were found to be important for industrial, agricultural and medical applications. These bacteria produce various extracellular enzymes such as polysaccharide-degrading enzymes and proteases, which can catalyze a wide variety of synthetic reactions in fields ranging from cosmetics to biofuel production. Various Paenibacillus spp. also produce antimicrobial substances that affect a wide spectrum of micro-organisms such as fungi, soil bacteria, plant pathogenic bacteria and even important anaerobic pathogens as Clostridium botulinium.

The P. dendritiformis and the P. vortex are facultative anaerobic, lubricating, flagellated and endospore-forming bacteria that are likely to be plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). PGPR competitively colonize plant roots and can simultaneously act as biofertilizers and as antagonists (biopesticides) of recognized root pathogens, such as bacteria, fungi and nematodes. They enhance plant growth by several direct and indirect mechanisms. Direct mechanisms include phosphate solubilization, nitrogen fixation, degradation of environmental pollutants and hormone production.

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