The copper-induced viable-but-nonculturable state of Cupriavidus metallidurans

In this era of antimicrobial resistance, many antibiotics are becoming useless and the global threat renewed the interest in alternative strategies, including metal-based antimicrobials. Interestingly, this renewed interest also attracted the attention of different space agencies to re-evaluate their prevention, monitoring and mitigation measures that ensure crew health and safety during (long-term) space missions. A group of antimicrobials that is actively explored are metals, both metal ions and metallic surfaces, and their effect on bacteria is studied for free-living planktonic cells as well as biofilms. A group of antimicrobials that is actively explored are metals, both metal ions and metallic surfaces, and their effect on bacteria is studied for free-living planktonic cells as well as biofilms. Different studies with bacteria isolated from the International Space Station indicated that they are able to adhere and grow on metal and textile surfaces and can rapidly evolve increased resistance to metal ions. These observations highlight the necessity to characterize their adaptability to metals in order to scrutinize the usefulness of metals as antimicrobial compounds in space applications. In this project, the adaptation of a set of gram-negative bacteria isolated from space-related environments to metal-based antimicrobials, with a focus on copper, will be dissected.