Multicellular self-organization of P. aeruginosa due to interactions   with secreted trails
  Guided movement in response to slowly diffusing polymeric trails provides a unique mechanism for self-organization of some microorganisms. To elucidate how this signaling route leads to microcolony formation, we experimentally probe the trajectory and orientation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa that propel themselves on a surface using type IV pili motility appendages, which preferentially attach to deposited exopolysaccharides. We construct a stochastic model by analyzing single-bacterium trajectories, and show that the resulting theoretical prediction for the many-body behavior of the bacteria is in quantitative agreement with our experimental characterization of how cells explore the surface via a power law strategy. 
Anatolij Gelimson, Kun Zhao, Calvin K. Lee, W. Till Kranz, Gerard C.   L. Wong, Ramin Golestanian
q-bio.CB cond-mat.soft physics.bio-ph q-bio.PE