Persisters-as elusive as ever.
Persisters-a drug-tolerant sub-population in an isogenic bacterial culture-have been featured throughout the last decade due to their important role in recurrent bacterial infections. Numerous investigations detail the mechanisms responsible for the formation of persisters and suggest exciting strategies for their eradication. In this review, we argue that the very term "persistence" is currently used to describe a large and heterogeneous set of physiological phenomena that are functions of bacterial species, strains, growth conditions, and antibiotics used in the experiments. We caution against the oversimplification of the mechanisms of persistence and urge for a more rigorous validation of the applicability of these mechanisms in each case.
University of Tartu, Institute of Technology, Nooruse 1, 50411, Tartu, Estonia.
Niilo
N
Kaldalu
University of Tartu, Institute of Technology, Nooruse 1, 50411, Tartu, Estonia.|Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Building 6K, 6L University Hospital Area, SE-901 87, Umeå, Sweden.|Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Umeå University, Building 6K and 6L, University Hospital Area, SE-901 87, Umeå, Sweden.
Vasili
V
Hauryliuk
University of Tartu, Institute of Technology, Nooruse 1, 50411, Tartu, Estonia. tanel.tenson@ut.ee.
Tanel
T
Tenson
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology*; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D012008:Recurrence
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
Antibiotic development; Antibiotic resistance; Antibiotic tolerance; Bacterial infections; Bet hedging; Persisters