Publikationsdatenbank

How to evaluate non-growing cells:
current strategies for determining antimicrobial resistance of VBNC bacteria (2021)

Art

Zeitschriftenartikel / wissenschaftlicher Beitrag

Autoren

Fleischmann, Susanne (WE 8)

Robben, Christian

Alter, Thomas (WE 8)

Rossmanith, Peter

Mester, Patrick

Quelle

Antibiotics : open access journal

Bandzählung: 10

Heftzählung: 2

Seiten: Artikel 115

ISSN: 2079-6382

Sprache

Englisch

Verweise

URL (Volltext): https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/10/2/115

DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10020115

Pubmed: 33530321

Kontakt

Institut für Lebensmittelsicherheit und -hygiene

Königsweg 69
14163 Berlin
+49 30 838 62551 / 52790
lebensmittelhygiene@vetmed.fu-berlin.de / fleischhygiene@vetmed.fu-berlin.de

Abstract / Zusammenfassung

Thanks to the achievements in sanitation, hygiene practices, and antibiotics, we have considerably improved in our ongoing battle against pathogenic bacteria. However, with our increasing knowledge about the complex bacterial lifestyles and cycles and their plethora of defense mechanisms, it is clear that the fight is far from over. One of these resistance mechanisms that has received increasing attention is the ability to enter a dormancy state termed viable but non-culturable (VBNC). Bacteria that enter the VBNC state, either through unfavorable environmental conditions or through potentially lethal stress, lose their ability to grow on standard enrichment media, but show a drastically increased tolerance against antimicrobials including antibiotics. The inability to utilize traditional culture-based methods represents a considerable experimental hurdle to investigate their increased antimicrobial resistance and impedes the development and evaluation of effective treatments or interventions against bacteria in the VBNC state. Although experimental approaches were developed to detect and quantify VBNCs, only a few have been utilized for antimicrobial resistance screening and this review aims to provide an overview of possible methodological approaches.