Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 5, 2025

Live/Dead Staining for Quantifying Viable but Not Culturable Cells in Manuka Honey-Treated Wound-Causing Bacteria
Published on: April 25, 2025
The Viable but Non-Culturable (VBNC) State, a Poorly Explored Aspect of Beneficial Bacteria
Laura Abisaí Pazos-Rojas1,2, Alma Cuellar-Sánchez2, Ana Laura Romero-Cerón2
1Faculty of Stomatology, Meritorious Autonomous University of Puebla (BUAP), Puebla 72570, Mexico.
Abstract:
Many bacteria have the ability to survive in challenging environments; however, they cannot all grow on standard culture media, a phenomenon known as the viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state. Bacteria commonly enter the VBNC state under nutrient-poor environments or under stressful conditions. This review explores the concept of the VBNC state, providing insights into the beneficial bacteria known to employ this strategy. The investigation covers different chemical and physical factors that can induce the latency state, cell features, and gene expression observed in cells in the VBNC state. The review also covers the significance and applications of beneficial bacteria, methods of evaluating bacterial viability, the ability of bacteria to persist in environments associated with higher organisms, and the factors that facilitate the return to the culturable state. Knowledge about beneficial bacteria capable of entering the VBNC state remains limited; however, beneficial bacteria in this state could face adverse environmental conditions and return to a culturable state when the conditions become suitable and continue to exert their beneficial effects. Likewise, this unique feature positions them as potential candidates for healthcare applications, such as the use of probiotic bacteria to enhance human health, applications in industrial microbiology for the production of prebiotics and functional foods, and in the beer and wine industry. Moreover, their use in formulations to increase crop yields and for bacterial bioremediation offers an alternative pathway to harness their beneficial attributes.
Related Concept Videos
Surface Membrane Barriers
The outer layer of the skin, the epidermis, is a robust barrier comprising layers of closely packed keratinized cells. This dense arrangement prevents microbes from penetrating the body. The periodic shedding of epidermal cells...
Bacterial Transformation
Griffith made an unexpected discovery when he killed the pathogenic strain and mixed its remains with the live, non-pathogenic strain. Not only did the mixture kill host mice, but it also contained living pathogenic bacteria that...

