近日，广东工业大学环境健康与污染控制研究院、环境科学与工程学院安太成教授团队题为《Regulatory formation of VBNC state antibiotic-resistant bacteria in water induced by sub-lethal photocatalysis and their resuscitation mechanism》的学术论文在Journal of Hazardous Materials，2025, 499: 140041杂志上发表(https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140041)。论文的第一作者为李桂英教授，主要作者还包括2023届硕士毕业生刘建莹和博士后蔡仪威，通讯作者为安太成教授。该研究主要关注亚致死光催化诱导后活的不可培养(VBNC)抗生素耐药菌的形成及其复苏机制，主要阐明了抗生素耐药菌在亚致死光催化下诱导进入VBNC状态以及恢复至正常状态的全过程中生理生化特性变化，系统揭示了细菌胞内氧化还原平衡和能量代谢平衡的恢复是VBNC抗生素耐药菌复苏的调控机制。该研究为VBNC细菌的形成和复苏提供了新的研究视角，有助于未来抗生素耐药性的环境控制，以及对后续深入探讨和明确VBNC细菌恢复过程中的具体调控机制具有一定的指导意义。
水体环境中的抗生素耐药菌(ARB)对公共卫生健康构成了严重的威胁。然而，ARB在水消毒过程中可能会通过进入一种活的不可培养（VBNC）状态来逃避被消杀的命运。VBNC细菌从休眠状态中复苏后仍然具备侵染人体的能力，甚至引发严重疾病。本研究阐明了亚致死光催化消毒诱导VBNC抗生素耐药菌的形成机理及解析了其复苏机制。发现经过亚致死光催化的诱导，所有ARB菌株均进入了VBNC状态，具体表现为可培养能力的丧失以及细胞尺寸的缩小等。在移除亚致死光催化压力应激5–10 d后，VBNC细菌完全可以恢复至正常可培养状态，其数量在20 d内逐渐上升直至最后略有下降。进一步的结果表明，复苏细菌的细胞长度、可培养能力和生长状态均恢复到了与正常野生型细菌相当的水平，但复苏ARB菌株的抗生素耐药性仍高于野生型状态细菌。生理特性分析和qPCR实验结果协同揭示了细菌胞内氧化还原平衡和能量代谢平衡的恢复均是VBNC耐药菌复苏的调控机制之一。该研究的成果非常有助于人们对ARB进入VBNC状态和复苏相关机制的理解，并为制定更有效的水消毒策略提供了一定的新见解。
论文DOI： https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.140041
图文摘要：
英文题目：Regulatory formation of VBNC state antibiotic-resistant bacteria in water induced by sub-lethal photocatalysis and their resuscitation mechanism
英文摘要：
The presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) in water poses serious threat to public safety. Worse still, to escape damage, ARB could enter viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state during water disinfection, and VBNC bacteria may resuscitate and further exposure to human, even causing serious disease. Herein, both regulatory formation mechanisms of VBNC bacteria induced by sub-lethal photocatalysis and its resuscitation mechanism were elucidated. After inducing for 1 h, >108 CFU/mL E. coli of all strains including ARB entered VBNC state, demonstrated by losing culturability and decreasing cell length. After stress rescinded for 5–10 d, VBNC E. coli could resuscitate, with a gradually increased trendy within 20 d and then decreased slightly. This resuscitation was demonstrated by recovering cell length, culturability and growth to the extent as wild type state. However, resuscitated cells showed a higher antibiotic resistance than wild type cells. Furthermore, qPCR analysis indicates that repaired oxidative damage and induced changes in energy allocation were the driving force for resuscitation of VBNC E. coli. This study deepens our understanding of health risks associated with ARB entering and exiting VBNC state, and provides new insights into developing more effective strategies to water disinfection.
项目资助：本研究受到国家自然科学基金项目(42330702和42407291)、广东省科学技术厅“珠江人才计划”引进创新团队(2023ZT10L102)的联合资助。
