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Antibiotic-induced anomalous statistics of collective bacterial swarming
Avraham Be'er [1] , Sivan Benisty [1] , Eshel Ben Jacob [2] , Gil Ariel [3]
[1] Ben Gurion University
[2] Tel Aviv University
[3] Bar Ilan University
Bacterial swarming is a collective mode of motion in which dense populations of self-propelled bacteria migrate on surfaces. Under sub-lethal antibiotics concentrations, the statistics of swarming Bacillus subtilis transitions from normal to anomalous, with a heavy-tailed speed distribution and a two-step temporal correlation of velocities. The transition is due to the formation of a motility defected sub-population that self-segregates into regions. The phenomenon suggests a new strategy bacteria employ to fight antibiotic stress using the physical properties of driven particle systems.