The identification of Pseudomonas aeruginosa persisters using flow cytometry

Abstract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa persisters are a rare and poorly characterized subpopulation of cells that are responsible for many recurrent infections. The lack of knowledge on the mechanisms that lead to persister cell development is mainly a result of the difficulty in isolating and characterizing this rare population. Flow cytometry is an ideal method for identifying such subpopulations because it allows for high-content single-cell analysis. However, there are fewer established protocols for bacterial flow cytometry compared to mammalian cell work. Herein, we describe and propose a flow cytometry protocol to identify and isolate P. aeruginosa persister cells. Additionally, we show that the percentage of potential persister cells increases with increasing antibiotic concentrations above the MIC.