Quantification of bacterial chemotaxis in porous media using magnetic resonance imaging

Bacterial chemotaxis has the potential to enhance biodegradation of organic contaminants in polluted groundwater systems. However, studies of bacterial chemotaxis in porous media are scarce. In this study we use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the noninvasive measurement of changes in bacterial-density distributions in a packed column at a spatial resolution of 330 microm as a function of time. We analyze both the diffusive and the chemotactic behavior of Pseudomonas putida F1 in the presence of the chemical stimulus trichloroethylene (TCE). The migration of motile bacteria in experiments without TCE was described using an effective motility coefficient, whereas the presence of TCE required addition of a nonzero chemotactic sensitivity coefficient, indicating a significant response to TCE. The need for a chemotactic sensitivity term was justified by a test for statistical significance. This study represents the first quantification of bacterial chemotactic parameters within a packed column. For conditions under which chemotaxis occurs in porous media, it may potentially be exploited to significantly improve rates of in situ pollutant biodegradation in the subsurface environment, particularlyfor pollutants dissolved in water trapped in low-permeability formations or lenses.