Understanding Bacterial Swimming to Stop Infections in Catheters
New research from the Complex Fluids Lab, led by ChE Assistant Professor Sara Hashmi, investigates how elongated E. coli bacteria swim in flow through microchannels. Elongation can arise from antibiotic treatment that does not suffice to kill the bacteria. The ultimate goal is to better understand swimming behaviors that may be precursors of infection in antibiotic resistant bacteria. The study, titled “Rigid body rotation and chiral reorientation combine in filamentous E. coli swimming in low-Re flows,” was published in Physics of Fluids and featured in AIP Scilights. By tracking these “wiggling” swimmers, the team discovered that their speed and trajectory are influenced by flow rates, which may dictate their ability to adhere to surfaces like catheter walls.