A. Besse

Emergence of Small Colony Variants (SCVs) is an adaptive strategy used by Pseudomonas aeruginosa to palliate O2 limitations

This study identifies O2 limitations as the main factor promoting the emergence of Small Colony Variants (SCVs) in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which helps the bacterium survive by forming biofilms to access electron acceptors.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains from both clinical and environmental origins readily adopt a stable small colony variant (SCV) phenotype resulting from single mutations in c-di-GMP pathways

The ability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to adopt a Small Colony Variant (SCV) phenotype is conserved, and not restricted to clinical isolates

This study shows that Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains from non-clinical environments can adopt a SCV-like phenotype under lab conditions, suggesting this ability is conserved across strains.