Persister cells in Burkholderia thailandensis

What is it about?

Persister cells are bacterial cells that can survive high doses of antibiotics and start to re-grow once the antibiotic had been removed, which can lead to treatment failure in human disease. We tried to study persister cells under conditions that mimic the human host, rather than artificial laboratory conditions, including a lower oxygen availability. We found that under these conditions, a higher percentage of the bacterial population had entered a persister cell state.

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Why is it important?

Our study challenges the current definition of persister cells, which often have been described simply as dormant cells. We find that persister cells in B. thailandensis have a maintained, anaerobic metabolic signature. We also find that different classes of persister cells exist, depending on the antibiotic used, which demonstrates that the persister cells phenomenon is getting increasingly more complex. Finally, we show that some persister cells can be eradi