Nature Communications (Dec 2022)

Suicidal chemotaxis in bacteria

  • Nuno M. Oliveira,
  • James H. R. Wheeler,
  • Cyril Deroy,
  • Sean C. Booth,
  • Edmond J. Walsh,
  • William M. Durham,
  • Kevin R. Foster

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35311-4
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 1
pp. 1 – 14

Abstract

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Bacteria respond to nutrients and other compounds via chemotaxis, but little is known of their responses to antibiotics. By tracking cells in antibiotic gradients, the authors show that surface-attached Pseudomonas aeruginosa move towards antibiotics in what appears to be a suicidal attack strategy.