Aberrant Bodies: An Alternative Metabolic Homeostasis Allowing Survivability?

The phylum is comprised of obligate intracellular bacteria including human pathogens such as and lesser-known -related bacteria like or . Despite broad differences, these bacteria share a similar development including a persistent state induced using stressors such as immune responses, nutrient starvation, or penicillin introduction. In microbiology, this persistent state is identified by enlarged bacteria, called aberrant bodies, which are unable to divide but are able to survive and resume the developmental cycle upon clearance of the stressor.