1-Undecene from Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an olfactory signal for flight-or-fight response in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Animals possess conserved mechanisms to detect pathogens and to improve survival in their presence by altering their own behavior and physiology. Here, we utilize Caenorhabditis elegans as a model host to ask whether bacterial volatiles constitute microbe-associated molecular patterns. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, we identify six prominent volatiles released by the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa.