Abstract
This study deals with the motion of a singly flagellated bacterium swimming near a rigid surface. We have developed a method to produce three dimensional orientations of a cell as well as its trajectory from two dimensional images obtained by microscopy. The motion of a cell is observed from the direction parallel to the surface. The orientation is calculated from the positions of front and rear ends of the cell body, which is like a rod, in the x-z plane. Assuming that the cell swims in the direction of the axis of its rod like cell body, we have constructed the trajectory. The motion of a cell swimming backward is significantly affected by a surface when the distance between the cell and the surface is less than about 5 micrometers.
