The logo of the new colouring book "coloured bacteria from A-Z" published by BacterialWorld.

Just as we turn our head and follow a certain smell, some bacteria do something similar.

Chemotaxis is how bacteria sense chemicals around them and use that information to move. A bacterium detects a molecule, processes that information and changes how it swims. In this way, chemotaxis connects sensing directly with movement.

If a chemical is useful, such as a nutrient, the bacterium can move towards it. Positive chemotaxis helps bacteria move towards favourable conditions. If a chemical is harmful or toxic, the bacterium can move away. Negative chemotaxis helps them avoid danger.

This matters because movement costs energy. Bacteria benefit from moving only when the journey is worth it. Chemotaxis gives them a way to decide where to go next.

In plant-associated bacteria, chemotaxis can help cells move towards molecules released by plants. This may support colonisation or biocontrol because, once close to the plant, bacteria interact with them and other microbes.

So, chemotaxis is a bacterial sense of direction. It helps them follow chemical clues through their environment: towards food, towards useful host signals or away from trouble. For such tiny cells, that is a powerful way to navigate the world.

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