Title | Colonization, competition, and dispersal of pathogens in fluid flow networks. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2015 |
Authors | Siryaporn, A, Kim, MKevin, Shen, Y, Stone, HA, Gitai, Z |
Journal | Curr Biol |
Volume | 25 |
Issue | 9 |
Pagination | 1201-7 |
Date Published | 2015 May 04 |
ISSN | 1879-0445 |
Keywords | Bacterial Physiological Phenomena, Hydrodynamics, Plant Diseases, Plant Vascular Bundle, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Tobacco |
Abstract | <p>The colonization of bacteria in complex fluid flow networks, such as those found in host vasculature, remains poorly understood. Recently, it was reported that many bacteria, including Bacillus subtilis [1], Escherichia coli [2], and Pseudomonas aeruginosa [3, 4], can move in the opposite direction of fluid flow. Upstream movement results from the interplay between fluid shear stress and bacterial motility structures, and such rheotactic-like behavior is predicted to occur for a wide range of conditions [1]. Given the potential ubiquity of upstream movement, its impact on population-level behaviors within hosts could be significant. Here, we find that P. aeruginosa communities use a diverse set of motility strategies, including a novel surface-motility mechanism characterized by counter-advection and transverse diffusion, to rapidly disperse throughout vasculature-like flow networks. These motility modalities give P. aeruginosa a selective growth advantage, enabling it to self-segregate from other human pathogens such as Proteus mirabilis and Staphylococcus aureus that outcompete P. aeruginosa in well-mixed non-flow environments. We develop a quantitative model of bacterial colonization in flow networks, confirm our model in vivo in plant vasculature, and validate a key prediction that colonization and dispersal can be inhibited by modifying surface chemistry. Our results show that the interaction between flow mechanics and motility structures shapes the formation of mixed-species communities and suggest a general mechanism by which bacteria could colonize hosts. Furthermore, our results suggest novel strategies for tuning the composition of multi-species bacterial communities in hosts, preventing inappropriate colonization in medical devices, and combatting bacterial infections.</p> |
DOI | 10.1016/j.cub.2015.02.074 |
Alternate Journal | Curr Biol |
PubMed ID | 25843031 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC4422760 |
Grant List | F32 AI095002 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States 1DP2OD004389 / OD / NIH HHS / United States DP1 AI124669 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States DP2 OD004389 / OD / NIH HHS / United States F32AI095002 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States |