Elimination of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Persisters with Low Electric Currents

It is now well recognized that bacterial cultures commonly contain a subpopulation of phenotypic variants, known as persister cells, that are dormant and extremely tolerant to antibiotics. When the antibiotic treatment is stopped, persister cells can regenerate the bacterial population with a similar percentage of persister cells, presenting a great challenge to curing chronic infections. In this presentation, we report for the first time that the persister cells of Pseudomonas aeruginosa can be effectively eliminated by low-level direct currents (DCs). For example, treatment with ľA level DC reduced the number of viable persister cells of P. aeruginosa PA01 by up to 3 logs. In addition to inactivation by applying DC alone, synergistic effects were observed when treating persister cells with a DC and an antibiotic together. The possible mechanism of these effects will be discussed. These results are helpful for understanding the mechanism of persister formation and for developing novel control methods.