Detoxification of host-relevant H(2)O(2) shapes Pseudomonas aeruginosa population gradients in flow.

In Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 flowing through long microfluidic channels, front cells detoxify host-relevant H2O2 and generate spatial population gradients via OxyR-regulated scavenging.

• Why it matters: Host environments expose bacteria to low H2O2, yet most experiments use higher levels that may miss how populations survive under realistic chemical stress and physical delivery.
• What they did: The study used microfluidics to deliver host-relevant H2O2 to PA14 populations in flow and tested OxyR-regulated scavenging systems KatA, KatB, and AhpCF, including triple mutants and co-cultures.
• The result: Triple mutants lacking all three systems were sensitive, but co-culturing with resistant cells cross-protected them; this cross-protection was abolished in higher flow regimes where delivery outpaced detoxification.

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