Bacteria like E. coli swim using flagella, helical filaments attached to biological motors on their bodies. By rotating the flagella, the bacterium generates thrust that propels it forward. Oddly, though, researchers observed decades ago that bacteria actually travel faster through complex fluids — like those with polymers or particles in them — than they do through simple fluids like water. A new study using colloids — small particles suspended in a liquid — shows why.
The researchers compared bacteria swimming through polymer-filled fluids and colloidal fluids and found strong overlap both qualitatively and quantitatively. They observed, for example, that bacteria swim in straighter lines — they wobble less — in complex fluids. The reason, according to the authors, is the hydrodynamic influence of the added materials. Essentially, when a bacterium swims near a colloid or piece of polymer, the particle exerts a torque on the microswimmer that reduces its wobble and enhances its speed. (Image credit: Cheng Research Group; research credit: S. Kamdar et al.; via Physics World)