Bacteria Like E. coli Swim Upstream in Our Bodies To Infect the Urinary Tract and Gut
When bacteria like Escherichia coli (E.coli) enter our bodies, they swim towards targets like the intestines and urinary tract. These intruders will stop at nothing to colonize and infect spaces. In fact, bacteria can swim upstream, going against the current to initiate their invasion.
In a new study published in the journal Newtonresearchers followed the movement of E.coli to see how bacteria move throughout the body. They discovered that bacteria are experts at navigating the channels in our body and can even pass through strong currents of fluids. Beyond showing how bacterial infections spread, this knowledge could also provide a model for microrobots that deliver drugs into the body.
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E.coli are remarkably fast swimmers
Bacteria are able to swim effortlessly, all thanks to their flagellum; this extending appendage of bacteria rotates to propel them through liquid environments. It contains a motor that can switch between clockwise and counterclockwise movements, allowing bacteria to change direction as they move, according to a 2007 study. Trends in microbiology.
“Bacteria are remarkably fast adaptive swimmers, capable of moving hundreds of body lengths per second while subjected to strong fluid flows,” study author Arnold Mathijssen, a biophysicist at the University of Pennsylvania, said in a statement.
But rather than going with the flow, bacteria swim upstream and eventually reach areas such as the respiratory, gastrointestinal and urinary tracts. They also move in the same way in medical equipment, like catheters. Against all odds, bacteria have no trouble contaminating and infecting spaces that normally seem difficult to access.
Go against the flow
The researchers involved in the new study wanted to understand why bacteria are able to swim so well, even when fluid currents push them around. To solve this mystery, they created nanoscale multichannel tubes that mimic those found inside the body, then E.coli swim through them.
The researchers tracked thousands of cells, combining these observations with simulations and mathematical analyzes to predict bacterial flow – the total number of cells moving upward over time – through different microtube shapes and configurations.
E.coli easily swam in tubes that resemble those of the human body, with smooth, rounded corners. Sharp corners, on the other hand, disrupted the movement of bacteria and slowed their spread. If medical devices implemented these sharper angles into their designs, it could help prevent bacteria contamination.
In terms of fluid flow, the researchers were surprised to find that a stronger flow helped the bacteria swim faster rather than slowing them down or washing them away. The bacteria used stronger currents as guide rails, aligning themselves with the flow and ultimately reaching upstream locations faster than they would under less abrasive conditions.
“Within minutes, we see the first cells arriving all the way upstream,” said co-author Suya Que, an undergraduate researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. “Once there, these first pioneer cells seed new colonies and create a “bi-directional” invasion that advances from both sides.
Robots inspired by bacteria
Once the bacteria reach their destination, they form streamer-like bioaggregates that drift downstream to colonize the entire channel.
Researchers say this has important implications for infections such as urinary tract infections; the presence of bacteria in a lower part of the urinary tract, for example, may be a warning sign of a more serious problem higher up in the kidneys.
Knowing how bacteria swim could help prevent infections and could also inspire the design of microrobots that can deliver drugs to targets in the body.
“The mechanisms they use to reorient themselves against the direction of the current and to swim upstream are very similar to those of a microrobot,” Mathijssen said. “I think this is a very exciting area of biomimicry – learning from biology – that could help us create better biomedical tools and potentially new therapies. »
This article does not offer medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.
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