This link provides an article about some recent research into how bacteria sense their surroundings, which is rather amazing considering how tiny they are and how relatively simple they are compared to our cells with so many organelles.
One of the papers I wrote in one of my grad classes focused on the bacteria in our large intestines and the community interactions of all these bacteria. They are incredible little creatures.
One of the applications for studying the interactions of bacteria is how they interact in diseases. Becuase the mucus in the lungs of Cystic fibrosis patients is so thick, the bacteria are not removed as easily and the bacteria have time to develop communities called biofilms that make it even tougher to remove them. Pseudomonan aeroginosa bacteria, which usually everybody can get rid of, can create these tough opportunistic infections in these patients. And because the biofilm provides a barrier, antibiotics are usually not effective in CF patients.
On a personal note, these interactions are good in the large intestine, where we have a virtual ecosystem of bacteria that provide coating. But those with inflammatory diseases liek Crohns and colitis for whatever reason have inapprorpiate responses to the bacteria.
So by studying these interactions, doctors can research ways to perhaps disrupt these biofilms in these patients to help them avoid the fatal infections.
Just thought I would provide some interesting reading for today.
It is amazing to see how complex these little guys are.