Question

What are VBNC bacteria and why do they exist? How have they impacted our identification of microbial life on our planet? What strategies and approaches would you follow to attempt to successfully culture bacteria (that were shown to be present through bacterial DNA extraction, PCR and gel electrophoresis) from a soil sample that would be described as “sandy”? Include some rationale behind your plans. For example, how does an understanding of the physiological state of the bacteria factor into your plan? By physiological state, I mean, states of stress, nutrient depletion, etc. Why is this important in terms of basic and applied environmental microbiology?