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Updated: Feb 13, 2026

Preparation, Imaging, and Quantification of Bacterial Surface Motility Assays
Published on: April 7, 2015
Assessing Travel Conditions: Environmental and Host Influences On Bacterial Surface Motility
Anne E Mattingly1, Abigail A Weaver1, Aleksandar Dimkovikj1
1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, University of Notre Dame.
Abstract:
The degree to which surface motile bacteria explore their surroundings is influenced by aspects of their local environment. Accordingly, regulation of surface motility is controlled by numerous chemical, physical, and biological stimuli. Discernment of such regulation due to these multiple cues is a formidable challenge. Additionally inherent ambiguity and variability from the assays used to assess surface motility can be an obstacle to clear delineation of regulated surface motility behavior. Numerous studies have reported single environmental determinants of microbial motility and lifestyle behavior but the translation of these data to understand surface motility and bacterial colonization of human host or environmental surfaces is unclear. Here, we describe the current state of the field and our understanding of exogenous factors that influence bacterial surface motility.
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