How E. coli exploit fluid flow and channel shape to swim upstream and cause infections

Bacteria Like E. coli Swim Upstream in Our Bodies To Infect the Urinary Tract and Gut

Learn how E. coli and other bacteria swim against the flow in our bodies to infect places like the urinary and gastrointestinal tracts.

How E. coli exploit fluid flow and channel shape to swim upstream and cause infections

"The UN estimates that by 2050, common bacterial infections could kill more people than cancer," says Arnold Mathijssen, a biophysicist at the University of Pennsylvania who studies how active particles like bacteria move in fluidic systems. "Bacteria are remarkably fast, adaptive swimmers, capable of moving hundreds of body lengths per second while being subjected to strong fluid flows."