Matters Microbial #113: Microbes That Swim, Swarm, Stand Up—and 'Walk'
Update: 2025-10-24
Description
Matters Microbial #113: Microbes That Swim, Swarm, Stand Up—and 'Walk'
October 24, 2025Today Dr. Joshua Shrout, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences at the University of Notre Dame joins the #QualityQuorum to discuss the work of his research team on sociomicrobiology. This includes how bacteria sense a surface, move together in groups, and communicate with one another.
Host: Mark O. Martin
Guest: Joshua Shrout
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Links for this episode
- Here is a wonderful video about the late great Dr. Esther Lederberg. Here is another article on that same subject.
- Here is an article about prodigiosin synthesis and Serratia marcescens.
- An introduction to the concept of sociomicrobiology.
- An overview of bacterial swarming. Here is a wonderful swarming video.
- An overview of bacterial swimming in liquid.
- An article about group/social motility in Myxococcus.
- A fine video explaining the amazing bacterial flagellar motor.
- An article about Vibrio parahaemolyticus and swarming.
- An overview of quorum sensing.
- Bacteria cultivated in the laboratory undergo mutational changes during "domestication."
- Pigments produced by Pseudomonas, including pyoverdin and pyocyanin.
- An article from Dr. Shrout's laboratory group describing interactions between Pseudomonas and Enterococcus described in this episode.
- The Type IV pili-based motility system.
- An article from Dr. Shrout's laboratory describing how Pseudomonas can "walk" on one pole during swarming.
- Here is a video from Dr. Shrout's laboratory showing Pseudomonas "walking" on their poles.
- An overview video of the Shrout laboratory's research interests.
- Dr. Shrout's faculty website.
- Dr. Shrout's truly beautiful research website. There are wonderful microbial videos there. Very much worth your time.
Intro music is by Reber Clark
Send your questions and comments to mattersmicrobial@gmail.com
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