Experimental studies addressing the longevity of Bacillus subtilis spores - The first data from a 500-year experiment.

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 de

SUBMITTER: Ulrich N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6279046 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature