Figure 7: Model of the population dynamics of P. aeruginosa following orogastric gavage.

Left: soon after the orogastric delivery of P. aeruginosa, most bacteria are eliminated from the stomach, severely constricting the size of the remaining population (less than 0.01% survival). Part of the population passes through the stomach to reach other compartments of the GI tract: small intestine, caecum, colon, and feces. P. aeruginosa does not encounter additional barriers downstream from the stomach. Right: over the first 24 hours, population expansion and/or reflux from the small intestine occurs in the stomach. The small intestine and the caecum support massive expansion of the remaining P. aeruginosa clones, and bacteria freely migrate from the caecum to the colon and feces. This figure was created using Biorender.com.