The VBNC state: a fundamental survival strategy of <i>Acinetobacter baumannii</i>

Abstract

Currently, the viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state is an underappreciated niche for pathogenic bacteria which provides a continuous source for recurrent infections and transmission. We propose the VBNC state to be a global persistence mechanism used by various <i>A. baumannii</i> strains to cope with many stresses it is confronted with in the clinical environment and in the host. This requires a novel strategy to detect viable cells of this pathogen that is not only based on plating assays.