Bacteria can go into prolonged sleep, avoiding death from antibiotics

Resistant bacteria avoid antibiotics by becoming less susceptible to them. But some

bacteria have another survival strategy:they survive the treatment by going into a sleepy state that allows them to tolerate the antibiotics. At the end of treatment, the bacteria wake up and continue infecting the body. This persistent condition can lead to recurring and difficult-to-treat infections. Researchers have gained new insight into this bacterial population, paving the way for effective treatments.

The research team worked with bacteriaStaphylococcus aureus, which is found on many people's skin and often causes invasive and difficult-to-treat infections. They took bacteria from an infected patient and cultured them in Petri dishes. Some bacterial colonies were smaller than others.

To determine the conditions under which bacteriabecome resilient, the researchers conducted various stress tests. Stress factors include the presence of human immune cells, antibiotics, or an acidic environment, as in abscesses. The researchers found that the more stressful the conditions, the higher the percentage of resistant bacteria.

Using bacteria recently isolated frompatients, the researchers also analyzed how resistance mechanisms work. To do this, they studied the entire set of bacterial proteins known as the proteome. Their analysis showed that extensive molecular reprogramming had taken place and slowed down the metabolism of persisters. However, it did not stop completely, and the bacteria went into a kind of deep sleep. In this way, bacteria have increased their chances of surviving in a hostile environment. The researchers also noticed that once the environment becomes more supportive, resistant bacteria reverse these changes and become infectious again.

A better understanding of these mechanisms willpromote the development of new treatments for resistant bacteria. Fighting resistance is also important in fighting resistance because recurrent infections need to be treated with antibiotics for an extended period. This constant exposure increases the risk of developing antibiotic resistance.

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