title: Adoption of the transiently non-culturable state--a bacterial survival strategy?
abstract: Microbial culturability can be ephemeral. Cells are not merely either dead or alive but can adopt physiological states in which they appear to be (transiently) non-culturable under conditions in which they are known normally to be able to grow and divide. The reacquisition of culturability from such states is referred to as resuscitation. We here develop the idea that this "transient non-culturability" is a consequence of a special survival strategy, and summarise the morphological, physiological and genetic evidence underpinning such behaviour and its adaptive significance.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SY23 3DD, UK.
authors.forename: Galina V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Mukamolova
authors.forename: Arseny S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Kaprelyants
authors.forename: Douglas B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Kell
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Young
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D017753:Ecosystem