Sensitizing Persister-State Pseudomonas aeruginosa to Tobramycin

Pseudomonas aeruginosa can be a problematic pathogen in patients who receive multiple courses of antibiotics, such as those with cystic fibrosis (CF). Subpopulations of metabolically dormant bacteria may enter a persister state, rendering them tolerant (resistant to antibiotic therapy), setting the stage for recurrent infection when these subpopulations “reawaken” into a more pathogenic form. Most CF patients ultimately become chronically infected with P. aeruginosa, prompting accelerated decline in lung function. In this series of in vitro studies in mucoid and nonmucoid isolates from patients with CF or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, researchers explored the activity of fumarate (a Krebs cycle intermediate that promotes the proton…