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Combining Fluidic Devices with Microscopy and Flow Cytometry to Study Microbial Transport in Porous Media Across Spatial Scales
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Physical constraints for pathogen movement.

Ulrich S Schwarz1

  • 1Heidelberg University, BioQuant and Institute for Theoretical Physics, Philosophenweg 19, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.

Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology
|October 13, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Pathogens face physical constraints in hosts, operating in a viscous, low Reynolds number environment. Strategies like exploiting host processes enhance pathogen motility for replication and spread.

Keywords:
BiophysicsCell adhesionCell motilityCell shapeCytoskeletonFrictionHydrodynamicsModeling and simulation

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Biophysics
  • Pathogen Dynamics

Background:

  • Pathogens operate at the microscale, experiencing environments dominated by fluid viscosity.
  • Understanding pathogen movement is crucial for controlling infection and disease spread.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the physical constraints influencing pathogen motility within host environments.
  • To elucidate the mechanisms enabling pathogen movement and host exploitation.

Main Methods:

  • Discussion of physical principles governing microscale locomotion.
  • Analysis of pathogen strategies for overcoming host barriers.
  • Review of existing literature on pathogen-host interactions and motility.

Main Results:

  • Pathogens navigate a low Reynolds number world where viscosity dominates.
  • Motility is governed by specific shape changes (swimming) or surface interactions (crawling/gliding).
  • Pathogens utilize host intracellular processes (e.g., actin polymerization) for enhanced movement.

Conclusions:

  • Pathogen motility is constrained by physical laws and host environment characteristics.
  • Effective pathogen spread relies on diverse strategies, often combining multiple motility mechanisms.
  • Pathogens' ability to exploit host processes mirrors behaviors seen in other motile cells, like cancer cells.