Excited to share the next installment from my time at Tufts University – our study of how viral infection alters bacterial foraging in the oceans, now live on Biorxiv!

In this work, we investigated how viral infection of the cyanobacteria Synechococcus – one of the most abundant marine microorganisms and contributes to ~25% of our oxygen production – influences the swimming of neighbouring bacteria. Whilst cell lysis is a well-known nutrient hotspot for such microbes, we show that early-stage infected cells are an even stronger and longer-lasting attractant, with an interaction range far exceeding that of previously theoretically considered for uninfected counterparts. To do this, we brought together a powerful combination of microfluidics, metabolomics, and microbiology, and should help shape our understanding of nutrient and resource flux at trophic levels.

This huge multidisciplinary project was a pleasure to be involved in, and combined the groups of Prof. Jeffrey Guasto at Tufts University, Prof. Sheri Floge at Wake Forest University, and Prof. Trent Northen at the Joint Genome Instititute (Berkley Labs). By far the largest single piece of work I’ve been involved in and looking forward to sharing it with you all!