Abstract
The “Viable but Nonculturable State” refers to the particular physiological state in which the bacterial cells retain a certain detectable activity, even if conventional culture methods fail to grow colonies. Although both VBNC and VNC are used for abbreviation, the author considers the latter easier for Japanese. Although there have also been proposals for other terms, we should stick to “Viable but Nonculturable” to avoid introducing any confusion at the moment.
The two most important issues in VNC research are; is VNC a programmed phenomenon? and, under what kind of condition do the cells in VNC state resuscitate? To answer these questions, interdisciplinary research especially with microbial ecologists and those in other fields is essential. The author thinks VNC research should be placed in a more comprehensive research field, that is “Death of Microbes”.
