https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2408303121

https://www.cas.cn/cm/202412/t20241211_5042309.shtml

Fu Xiongfei and his team at the CAS at the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology have constructed a host-virus co-migration experimental system using Escherichia coli and its viral M13 phage. They found that under the condition of non-directional spatial expansion migration, host movement will promote virus transmission. However, when the bacterial population expands outward under chemotaxis, a “forward camp” with a constant number of bacteria will be formed, which is achieved by self-reproduction of the bacteria and the simultaneous elimination of individuals located at the rear. Model predictions show that since viruses cannot move autonomously, non-motile phages always lag behind motile bacteria. Therefore, healthy bacteria are at the front in the “forward camp” while infected individuals are at the back and eliminated. As the “forward battalion” movement speeds up, so does the pace of elimination, resulting in infected individuals being purged from the population.

In conclusion, bacteria which “run around” without direction are not able to eliminate viruses. Only with directional spatial expansion and the host running fast enough can “elimination of viruses” be achieved.