Phenotypic tolerance: the search for beta-lactam antibiotics that kill nongrowing bacteria.

Abstract excerpt

beta-Lactam antibiotics rapidly kill bacteria during logarithmic growth but fail to kill nongrowing cells. This trait is the most universal example of phenotypic tolerance (the ability of bacteria to evade the bactericidal activity of antibiotics). Both nongrowing and slowly growing bacteria are found very frequently during infection in vivo, and phenotypic tolerance to the bactericidal activity of antibiotics as...

Topics

• Anti-Bacterial Agents
• Bacteria
• Cerebrospinal Fluid
• Drug Tolerance
• Escherichia coli
• Phenotype
• beta-Lactams