ArticlePloS one2018
Experimental studies addressing the longevity of Bacillus subtilis spores - The first data from a 500-year experiment.
Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 41 papers.
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Who cites it
41 citing papers in PubMed.
- Sporulation modulates viscoelastic development through extracellular matrix restructuring inbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Antibiofilm, Antimicrobial, and Limited Ammonia-Reduction Activities of Bacillus cereus-Group Isolates From Hot Spring Sediment and Rubber Latex Serum for Aquaculture Water Management.Water environment research : a research publication of the Water Environment Federation · 2026Article
- Nutrient-induced germination of Bacillus subtilis spores exhibiting shared metabolic profiles in both TSB and AGFK media.Metabolomics : Official journal of the Metabolomic Society · 2026Article
- Community matters: stress tolerance and survival ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Repurposing the bacterial surface display technology for drug delivery.Advanced drug delivery reviews · 2025Review
- Viable, Multi-Drug-Resistant Bacteria Recovered from E-Liquids Used with Commercial Electronic Cigarettes.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Bacterially grown living materials with resistant and on-demand functionality.Science advances · 2025Article
- Biogeographical Distribution of Bacteria in Soils with Identical Agricultural Practices: Impacts of Environmental Factors.Current microbiology · 2025Article
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- Modified protocol comparing sporicidal activity of different non-thermal plasma generating devices.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Revolutionary self-powered transducing mechanism for long-lasting and stable glucose monitoring: achieving selective and sensitive bacterial endospore germination in microengineered paper-based platforms.Microsystems & nanoengineering · 2024Article
- The Utilization ofMicroorganisms · 2024Article
- Extremophiles in Space Exploration.Indian journal of microbiology · 2024Review
- Infection prevention control in practice: a survey of healthcare professionals' knowledge and experiences.Infection prevention in practice · 2024Article
- Catabolism of germinant amino acids is required to prevent premature spore germination inmBio · 2024Article
- Parameter evaluation for developing phosphate-solubilizing Bacillus inoculants.Brazilian journal of microbiology : [publication of the Brazilian Society for Microbiology] · 2024Article
- Germicidal efficacy of continuous and pulsed ultraviolet-C radiation on pathogen models and SARS-CoV-2.Photochemical & photobiological sciences : Official journal of the European Photochemistry Association and the European Society for Photobiology · 2024Article
- Radioactive waste microbiology: predicting microbial survival and activity in changing extreme environments.FEMS microbiology reviews · 2024Review
- Biocontrol in built environments to reduce pathogen exposure and infection risk.The ISME journal · 2024Review
- New Thoughts on an Old Topic: Secrets of Bacterial Spore Resistance Slowly Being Revealed.Microbiology and molecular biology reviews : MMBR · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The ability to form endospores allows certain Gram-positive bacteria (e.g. Bacillus subtilis) to challenge the limits of microbial resistance and survival. Thus, B. subtilis is able to tolerate many environmental extremes by transitioning into a dormant state as spores, allowing survival under otherwise unfavorable conditions. Despite thorough study of spore resistance to external stresses, precisely how long B. subtilis spores can lie dormant while remaining viable, a period that potentially far exceeds the human lifespan; is not known although convincing examples of long term spore survival have been recorded. In this study, we report the first data from a 500-year microbial experiment, which started in 2014 and will finish in 2514. A set of vials containing a defined concentration of desiccated B. subtilis spores is opened and tested for viability every two years for the first 24 years and then every 25 years until experiment completion. Desiccated baseline spore samples were also exposed to environmental stresses, including X-rays, 254 nm UV-C, 10% H2O2, dry heat (120°C) and wet heat (100°C) to investigate how desiccated spores respond to harsh environmental conditions after long periods of storage. Data from the first 2 years of storage show no significant decrease in spore viability. Additionally, spores of B. subtilis were subjected to various short-term storage experiments, revealing that space-like vacuum and high NaCl concentration negatively affected spore viability.
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