The near-surface swimming patterns of bacteria are strongly determined by the hydrodynamic interactions between bacteria and the surface, which trap bacteria in smooth circular trajectories that lead to inefficient surface exploration. Here, we show by combining experiments and a data-driven mathematical model that surface exploration of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) -- a pathogenic strain of E. coli causing serious illnesses such as bloody diarrhea -- results from a complex interplay between motility and transient surface adhesion events. These events allow EHEC to break the smooth circular trajectories and regulate their transport properties by the use stop-adhesion events that lead to a characteristic intermittent motion on surfaces. We find that the experimentally measured frequency of stop-adhesion events in EHEC is located at the value predicted by the developed mathematical model that maximizes bacterial surface diffusivity. We indicate that these results and the developed model apply to other bacterial strains on different surfaces, which suggests that swimming bacteria use transient adhesion to regulate surface motion.
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