A problem of persistence: still more questions than answers?

Bacterial persistence poses a major obstacle for current efforts to tackle the global rise of antibiotic resistance. Here, Balaban, Gerdes, Lewis and McKinney discuss the physiological features of persister cells and the factors leading to their emergence, as well as the implications of persistence...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature reviews. Microbiology 2013-08, Vol.11 (8), p.587-591
Main Authors: Balaban, Nathalie Q., Gerdes, Kenn, Lewis, Kim, McKinney, John D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
41
Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology
Antibiotic resistance
Antibiotics
Antimicrobial agents
Bacteria
Bacteria - drug effects
Bacteria - genetics
Bacteria - pathogenicity
Bacterial Infections - drug therapy
Bacterial Infections - microbiology
Bacteriology, Medical
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Drug resistance in microorganisms
Drug Resistance, Bacterial
Enzymes
Evolution, Molecular
Heterogeneity
Humans
Hypotheses
Infectious Diseases
Life Sciences
Medical Microbiology
Microbial Viability - drug effects
Microbiology
Parasitology
Phenotype
Physiological aspects
Physiology
Reactive Oxygen Species - metabolism
Ribonucleic acid
RNA
Species Specificity
Stress, Physiological
viewpoint
Virology
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Summary:Bacterial persistence poses a major obstacle for current efforts to tackle the global rise of antibiotic resistance. Here, Balaban, Gerdes, Lewis and McKinney discuss the physiological features of persister cells and the factors leading to their emergence, as well as the implications of persistence for antibiotic treatment regimens and bacterial heterogeneity. The current antibiotic resistance crisis has led to increased pressure to prioritize strategies to tackle the issue, with a strong focus being placed on the development of novel antimicrobials. However, one major obstacle that is often overlooked is persister cells, which are refractory to antibiotic treatment. Tackling persistence is a challenge because these cell types are extremely difficult to study and, consequently, little is known about their physiology and the factors that lead to their emergence. Here, four experts contemplate the main physiological features that define persistence and the implications of persistence for antibiotic treatment regimens, and consider what the study of bacterial persistence has taught us about the heterogeneity of bacterial populations.
ISSN:1740-1526
1740-1534
DOI:10.1038/nrmicro3076