Enhanced bacterial chemotaxis in confined microchannels: Optimal performance in lane widths matching circular swimming radius

Understanding bacterial behavior in confined environments is helpful for elucidating microbial ecology and developing strategies to manage bacterial infections. While extensive research has focused on bacterial motility on surfaces and in porous media, chemotaxis in confined spaces remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate the chemotaxis of Escherichia coli within microfluidic lanes under a linear concentration gradient of L-aspartate. We demonstrate that E. coli exhibits significantly enhanced chemotaxis in lanes with sidewalls compared to open surfaces. We attribute this phenomenon primarily to the intrinsic clockwise circular motion of surface-swimming bacteria and the subsequent alignment effect upon collision with the sidewalls. By varying lane widths, we identify that an 8 μm width—approximating the radius of bacterial circular swimming on surfaces—maximizes chemotactic drift velocity. These results are supported by both experimental observations and stochastic simulations, establishing a clear proportional relationship between optimal lane width and the radius of bacterial circular swimming. Further geometric analysis provides an intuitive understanding of this phenomenon. Our results may offer insights into bacterial navigation in complex biological environments such as host tissues and biofilms, providing a preliminary step toward exploring microbial ecology in confined habitats and potential strategies for controlling bacterial infections.