Touching the Invisible: Communicating Intracellular Bacterial Pathogens
through Multisensory Art
Abstract
Microbial life flourishes all around us and is invisible to the naked
eye. Within this microscopic world are intracellular bacteria, including
Salmonella enterica, Chlamydia trachomatis, and Orientia tsutsugamushi.
By hijacking eukaryotic host cellular machinery and avoiding detection,
these bacteria orchestrate their own survival and replication within
host cells. The intricate nature of these interactions are usually
communicated through images and graphical presentations, thereby
excluding the low vision and blind communities. By taking part in the
Sensory Science Exhibition, held at St Catharine’s College, University
of Cambridge as part of the Cambridge Festival on the 18th March 2024,
we sought to address this problem through creating a 3D mammalian cell
and model bacteria. The aim of this tactile display was to guide
participants through key aspects of intracellular bacterial life cycles
such as host cell entry, S. enterica type three secretion system (T3SS)
protein secretion, O. tsutsugamushi trafficking along microtubules, and
C. trachomatis replication within an inclusion. We hope our multisensory
conceptualisation of the intriguing lives of intracellular bacteria
provided inclusive science communication to the low vision and blind
communities.