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Updated: Jul 1, 2026
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Time-lapse Imaging of Bacterial Swarms and the Collective Stress Response
Published on: May 23, 2020
Swarming motility: a multicellular behaviour conferring antimicrobial resistance.
Sandra Lai1, Julien Tremblay, Eric Déziel
1INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Laval, Quebec, Canada, H7V 1B7.
Environmental Microbiology
|September 17, 2008
Summary
Bacterial swarming cells exhibit increased antimicrobial resistance compared to planktonic cells, suggesting multicellularity enhances bacterial defense. This transient resistance is linked to the swarming state, not typical resistance mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Bacterial Motility
- Antimicrobial Resistance
Background:
- Swarming is a social motility in bacteria, crucial for migration of differentiated cells.
- Biofilm communities exhibit high antimicrobial resistance, prompting investigation into swarming behavior.
- Swarming shares similarities with biofilms, suggesting potential parallels in resistance mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if bacterial swarming behavior is associated with a widespread antimicrobial resistant phenotype.
- To compare antimicrobial resistance levels between swarming and planktonic bacterial cells.
- To explore the underlying mechanisms of resistance in swarming cells.
Main Methods:
- Tested swarm cells of five bacterial species (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Serratia marcescens, Burkholderia thailandensis, Bacillus subtilis) against 13 antibiotics.
- Utilized Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a model organism to study the transient nature of the multiresistant phenotype.
- Investigated the role of RND-type efflux pumps and biofilm-associated resistance mechanisms.
Main Results:
- Swarm cells demonstrated higher resistance to most tested antibiotics compared to planktonic cells, excluding antimicrobial peptides.
- The multiresistant phenotype in swarm cells was transient and intrinsically linked to the swarming state.
- Resistance was also observed against triclosan and arsenite; efflux pumps and periplasmic glucans did not explain this resistance.
Conclusions:
- Bacterial multicellularity, including swarming, is associated with enhanced antimicrobial resistance.
- Swarming motility serves as a valuable model for understanding biofilm antibiotic resistance.
- The findings support the hypothesis that antimicrobial resistance is a general feature of bacterial multicellular lifestyles.
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