Bacterias viables, pero no cultivables: Cuando los patógenos están presentes, pero no son detectados por los análisis convencionales

Abstract

According to the WHO, annually 600 million people get sick and 420 000 die from the consumption of contaminated food; of these, 125 000 are children under 5 years. A fraction of these figures can be related to the bacterial ability to survive stressful environments, entering the viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state, in which they are not detected by conventional methods. These microorganisms affect the productive sectors, causingdirect and indirect economic losses, affecting the health of exposed people. This article reviews the efforts to obtain the implications of the existence of VBNC bacteria in different matrices and how their presence compromises their microbiological safety.