mRNA Detection by Reverse Transcription-PCR for Monitoring Viability over Time in an Enterococcus faecalis Viable but Nonculturable Population Maintained in a Laboratory Microcosm

作者：Maria del Mar Lleò, Sabrina Pierobon, Maria Carla Tafi, Caterina Signoretto, Pietro Canepari · 发表于：Applied and Environmental Microbiology · 年份：2000 · DOI：10.1128/aem.66.10.4564-4567.2000 · 被引用次数：189 · 研究领域：Vibrio bacteria research studies、Bacillus and Francisella bacterial research、Listeria monocytogenes in Food Safety

The viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state is a survival strategy adopted by bacteria when they are exposed to hostile environmental conditions. It has been shown that VBNC forms of bacteria are no longer capable of growing on conventional bacteriological media but conserve pathogenic factors and/or genes. It is thus necessary to develop methods capable of detecting nonculturable bacteria and of establishing their viability when the microbiological quality of environments is monitored. In this study we demonstrated that a gene was expressed during the VBNC state in a low-nutrient-concentration microcosm through detection of Enterococcus faecalis pbp5 mRNA by reverse transcription-PCR over a 3-month period. The presence of mRNA correlated with metabolic activity and resuscitation capability, indicating the viability of the VBNC cells.