Mechanisms of bacterial persistence during stress and antibiotic exposure

BACKGROUND The escalating crisis of multidrug resistance is raising fears of untreatable infections caused by bacterial “superbugs.” However, many patients already suffer from infections that are effectively untreatable due to innate bacterial mechanisms for persistence. This phenomenon is caused by the formation of specialized persister cells that evade antibiotic killing and other stresses by entering a physiologically dormant state, irrespective of whether they possess genes enabling antibiotic resistance. The recalcitrance of persister cells is a major cause of prolonged and recurrent courses of infection that can eventually lead to complete antibiotic treatment failure. Regularly growing bacteria…

• NN
  Novo Nordisk UK Research Foundation
• DG
  Danmarks Grundforskningsfond

  Award: DNRF120
• ER
  European Research Council

  Award: 294517