Made to Be Invaded
BASIC RESEARCH Made to Be Invaded Mini gut models give scientists a front row seat to some of the most puzzling pathogen behaviors. by Monique Brouillette The foodborne bacteria Salmonella enterica begins its reproductive journey by hitching a ride on a tainted meal. After being swallowed it coasts to the hollow tube of the digestive tract, where it will grow and divide. But the bacterium must first propel itself through a 50-micron thick layer of viscous mucus in the walls of the intestines, using a whip-like flagellum as a kind of corkscr...
Source: protomag.com