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A problem of persistence: still more questions than answers?

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 11, pages 587–591 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

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.

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Acknowledgements

K.G. thanks E. Maisonneuve for thoughtful suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nathalie Q. Balaban is at The Racah Institute of Physics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel.,

    Nathalie Q. Balaban

  2. Kenn Gerdes is at The Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Baddiley Clark Building, Medical School, Newcastle University, Richardson Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4AX, UK.,

    Kenn Gerdes

  3. Kim Lewis is at the Department of Biology, Northeastern University, 306C Mugar Life Sciences, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.,

    Kim Lewis

  4. John D. McKinney is at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), SV 3834, Station 19, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.,

    John D. McKinney

Authors
  1. Nathalie Q. Balaban
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  2. Kenn Gerdes
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  3. Kim Lewis
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  4. John D. McKinney
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Nathalie Q. Balaban, Kenn Gerdes, Kim Lewis or John D. McKinney.

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Balaban, N., Gerdes, K., Lewis, K. et al. A problem of persistence: still more questions than answers?. Nat Rev Microbiol 11, 587–591 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro3076

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