Complete genome of the thermophilic purple sulfur Bacterium Thermochromatium tepidum compared to Allochromatium vinosum and other Chromatiaceae.

The complete genome sequence of the thermophilic purple sulfur bacterium Thermochromatium tepidum strain MC (DSM 3771) is described and contrasted with that of its mesophilic relative Allochromatium vinosum strain D (DSM 180) and other Chromatiaceae. The Tch. tepidum genome is a single circular chromosome of 2,958,290 base pairs with no plasmids and is substantially smaller than the genome of Alc.

Slow and steady wins the race: an examination of bacterial persistence.

Bacterial persistence is a state of metabolic dormancy among a small fraction (<1%) of a genetically identical population of cells that, as a result, becomes transiently resistant to environmental stressors. Such cells, called persisters, are able to survive indeterminate periods of exposure to challenging and even hostile environmental conditions, including nutrient deprivation, oxidative stress, or the presence of an antibiotic to which the bacterium would normally be susceptible. Subpopulations of cells having the persister phenotype is also a common feature of biofilms, in which limited space, hypoxia, and nutrient deficiencies all contribute to the onset of persistence.