ReviewFrontiers in microbiology2014
The importance of the viable but non-culturable state in human bacterial pathogens.
Review in Frontiers in microbiology, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 412 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
412 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- How long do bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses retain their replication capacity on inanimate surfaces? A systematic review examining environmental resilience versus healthcare-associated infection risk by "fomite-borne risk assessment".Clinical microbiology reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Article
- Antibacterial surface engineering: bioinspiration from leaves to medical devices.RSC applied interfaces · 2026Review
- Electrolyzed Water as a Biocide in Premise Water Networks: A Narrative Review and a Conceptual Framework.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Storage Survival and Thermal Inactivation ofFoods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Ozonation Eliminates Viable but Not CulturablePathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Long-Term Environmental Surveillance ofPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Article
- Stress History Establishes a Transient Tolerant State That Shapes Antibiotic Survival Upon Resuscitation.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- The Pharmacology of Bacterial Persistence: From Antibiotic Tolerance to Antimicrobial Resistance.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Assessment of a bacterial quantification assay to detect and monitorERJ open research · 2026Article
- Toward Robust ARB Inactivation in Wastewater: Comparing Performic Acid, Peracetic Acid, and Chloramination Using ICT, Resistance, and Reactivation Metrics.Water environment research : a research publication of the Water Environment Federation · 2026Article
- Mechanism insights into the regulation of the LuxS/AI-2 quorum sensing system on the formation of viable but nonculturable state in biofilm cells of beer-spoilage Lactiplantibacillus plantarum.Journal of advanced research · 2026Article
- Revisiting Strategies for Bacterial Enumeration: The Case for Viable but Nonculturable (VBNC) Cells in Supplement Products.Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins · 2026Review
- Bioelectrochemical detection of viable but non-culturable bacterial cells on screen-printed carbon electrodes.Biofilm · 2026Article
- CApEsid biOfilm: a suggested pipeline for clinical phage microbiology for biofilm infections based on comparative method study.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Two Worlds, One Battle: How Bacteria and Malignancies Converge on Drug Resistance.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- How Salmonella Works Under Osmotic and Desiccation Stresses.Comprehensive reviews in food science and food safety · 2026Review
- Untargeted Metabolomics Reveals Metabolic Reprogramming During Viable but Non-Culturable State Formation inFoods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Growth phase-specific induction of a viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state inMicrobiology spectrum · 2026Article
352 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Many bacterial species have been found to exist in a viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state since its discovery in 1982. VBNC cells are characterized by a loss of culturability on routine agar, which impairs their detection by conventional plate count techniques. This leads to an underestimation of total viable cells in environmental or clinical samples, and thus poses a risk to public health. In this review, we present recent findings on the VBNC state of human bacterial pathogens. The characteristics of VBNC cells, including the similarities and differences to viable, culturable cells and dead cells, and different detection methods are discussed. Exposure to various stresses can induce the VBNC state, and VBNC cells may be resuscitated back to culturable cells under suitable stimuli. The conditions that trigger the induction of the VBNC state and resuscitation from it are summarized and the mechanisms underlying these two processes are discussed. Last but not least, the significance of VBNC cells and their potential influence on human health are also reviewed.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.