Neisseria bacteria have their own way of moving since they use little hairs to reach out and touch objects. Once the bacterium finds something interesting – like another bacterium – the hair can glue itself to that surface. Next, the hair shortens and pulls Neisseria towards this other bacterium. Like this, Neisseria bacteria move towards new places and connect with other bacteria.
The pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae uses its dynamic hair – the so-called pilus – also when infecting human cells. The end of the pilus can bind to receptors on the surface of human cells to glue the bacterium to them. By retracting the pilus, the bacterium comes close to the cell to enter and infect it.
For a long time, bacteria were classified according to their shapes. With new technologies, we learned that the bacterial shapes help them survive in their environments and face harsh conditions. Spheres, rods, stars and screws: Learn about the different bacterial shapes.
Some bacteria have special hair-like structures to connect to surfaces or other organisms. These bacterial pili help them move along that surface or pull themselves closer to a prey or host. Read about why bacteria need those pili when they are out hunting or infecting us.
To fight nasty microorganisms, researchers need to come up with new strategies to develop vaccines. Turns out bacteria are extremely helpful to researchers, since they provide valuable tools.
Learn how researchers use bacteria to find new vaccines.
