Active and passive particles: Modeling beads in a bacterial bath

A simple model for the motion of passive particles in a bath of active, self-propelled ones is introduced. It is argued that this approach provides the correct framework within which to cast the recent experimental results obtained by Wu and Libchaber Phys Rev. Lett. 84, 3017 (2000) for the diffusive properties of polystyrene beads displaced by bacteria suspended in a two-dimensional fluid film. Our results suggest that superdiffusive behavior should indeed be generically observed in the transition region marking the onset of collective motion.