Assessing the persister state in Listeria monocytogenes in response to gentamicin, benzalkonium chloride and bacteriocin SB83

Introduction: In the context of food safety, persister cells are a public health concern since these may contribute to the persistence and survival of bacteria in food processing environments. Listeria monocytogenes persisters are described as a subpopulation of growth-arrested cells that possess non-heritable, temporary tolerance to lethal doses of antibiotics (e.g., gentamicin) and can revert to an active state under favorable conditions. This dormancy state can be studied through biphasic killing curves – initial drop of susceptible cells followed by a plateau of persisters in response to continuous antibiotic exposure or to its increasing concentration. Nonewithstanding, gaps still exist to understand whether stresses present in the food-producing sector, such as disinfectants and bacteriocins, can also contribute to the formation of persisters. Conclusion: Neither bacteriocin SB83 nor BAC were able to induce the persisters state.The gentamicin exposure is still the only validated approach to achieve the persister dormancy state. Further studies must focus in understanding the tolerance profile of persister cells to food facilities stresses.