Touching the invisible: exploring intracellular host–pathogen interactions through multisensory art

The microscopic world of intracellular bacteria is rarely communicated to non-scientists. By participating in the Sensory Science Exhibition, held at St Catharine's College, University of Cambridge as part of the Cambridge Festival, we sought to address this problem by creating a 3D mammalian cell with model bacteria, including Salmonella enterica, Chlamydia trachomatis and Orientia tsutsugamushi. By hijacking eukaryotic host cellular machinery and avoiding detection, these bacteria orchestrate their survival and replication within host cells. This tactile display aimed to guide participants through key aspects of intracellular bacterial life cycles such as host cell entry, Salmonella type three secretion system (T3SS) protein secretion, O. tsutsugamushi trafficking along microtubules, and C. trachomatis replication within an inclusion. We summarize our experiences in this report. We hope our multisensory conceptualization of intracellular bacteria provided inclusive and easy-to-understand communication of complex science concepts to the general public with modalities also accessible to the low-vision and blind communities.