Cell motility and antibiotic tolerance of bacterial swarms

Many bacteria species can move across moist surfaces in a coordinated manner known as swarming. It is reported that swarm cells show higher tolerance to a wide variety of antibiotics than planktonic cells. We used the model bacterium \textit{E. coli} to study how motility affects the antibiotic tolerance of swarm cells. Our results provide new insights for the control of pathogenic invasion via regulating cell motility.