Most of the living cell has tendency change its phenotype to persisters. As we know, bacteria temporarily change its phenotype and become persisters ((drug-tolerant phenotype of an organism) to survive in different stresses, Pathogenic bacteria use this phenomenon for drug tolerance. I would like to know if pathogens have extra machinery for this phenomenon.
I think, there is no difference since switching between two different phenotypes under environmental stress is almost for the survival of bacteria. The attached articles could help:
The overall ability to adapt to stress may differ. However, There is no difference in the molecular mechanisms and population dynamics of persisters among pathogens and non-pathogens. This whole process of stress adaptation is due to multiple phenotypic changes (change in membrane fluidity, alteration in cholesterol content of cell, expression of efflux pumps, etc) and genitypic changes (directed mutagenesis). It is a virtue of each and ever bacterial cell that enable them to withstand any type of stress be it antibiotics or environmental stress. In fact non-pathogens such as those forming the normal flora are supposed to endure a varying stressful environment. Pathogenic bacteria acquire nutrition by infecting while non-pathogens have to obtain it from the environment which usually runs in short of nutrition. So, these bacteria are well-worsed to cope with adversities. Therefore, it can be theoretically said that this tendency of stress adaptation is more in non-pathogenic environmental persisters. However, this can be theoretical. I am unaware of any practical differences.
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