Bacterial persistence induced by salicylate via reactive oxygen species

Persisters are phenotypic variants of regular cells that exist in a dormant state with low metabolic activity, allowing them to exhibit high tolerance to antibiotics. Despite increasing recognition of their role in chronic and recalcitrant infections, the mechanisms that induce persister formation are not fully understood. In this study, we find that salicylate can induce persister formation in Escherichia coli via generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Salicylate-induced ROS cause a decrease in the membrane potential, reduce metabolism and lead to an increase in persistence. These effects can be recovered by culturing cells in the presence of a ROS quencher or in an anaerobic environment. Our findings reveal that salicylate-induced oxidative stress can lead to persistence, suggesting that ROS, and their subsequent impact on membrane potential and metabolism, may play a broad role in persister formation.