Failed Escape: Solid Surfaces Prevent Tumbling of Escherichia coli
Name
PhysRevLett.113.068103.pdf
Size
1.09 MB
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Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
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Author(s)
Molaei, Mehdi
Barry, Michael
Stocker, Roman
Sheng, Jian
Date Issued
August 2014
Journal
Physical Review Letters
Publisher
American Physical Society
Citation
Molaei, Mehdi, Michael Barry, Roman Stocker, and Jian Sheng. "Failed Escape: Solid Surfaces Prevent Tumbling of Escherichia coli." Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 068103 (August 2014). © 2014 American Physical Society
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Understanding how bacteria move close to surfaces is crucial for a broad range of microbial processes including biofilm formation, bacterial dispersion, and pathogenic infections. We used digital holographic microscopy to capture a large number (>10[superscript 3]) of three-dimensional Escherichia coli trajectories near and far from a surface. We found that within 20 μm from a surface tumbles are suppressed by 50% and reorientations are largely confined to surface-parallel directions, preventing escape of bacteria from the near-surface region. A hydrodynamic model indicates that the tumble suppression is likely due to a surface-induced reduction in the hydrodynamic force responsible for the flagellar unbundling that causes tumbling. These findings imply that tumbling does not provide an effective means to escape trapping near surfaces.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Parsons Laboratory for Environmental Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
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Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.113.068103
