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Updated: Jan 14, 2026

Investigating Flagella-Driven Motility in Escherichia coli by Applying Three Established Techniques in a Series
Published on: May 10, 2020
Targeting bacterial motility: Prospective therapeutic countermeasures
Yilin Sun1, Pengcheng Wang2, Yidan Chai1
1School of Food and Pharmacy, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan 316022, China.
Abstract:
Microorganisms have developed several motility types regulated by environmental conditions in host colonization to support transmission and virulence. Targeting motility is a promising antivirulence strategy. Herein, the current and developing countermeasures targeting filament-based and gliding/sliding motility mechanisms, including assembly, structure, and secretion, are reviewed. Additionally, indirect strategies that influence motility, including targeting c-di-GMP signaling, quorum sensing, and the two-component system, are described. Biological interference with metabolites and bacteriophage, as well as the promising strategies are also addressed in the review. The limitation and challenges of antimotility interventions are critically analysed. Overall, targeting motility represents a novel antivirulence paradigm to disarm pathogens while minimizing selective pressure for resistance, pointing to a promising direction for future combination therapies.
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