Progress in research of viable but non-culturable state of Vibrio cholerae

Vibrio cholerae, widely existing in marine and estuarine environments, is the causative agent of cholera. When V. cholerae cells are subjected to stringent conditions they may form viable but not culturable (VBNC) cells. These bacteria can recover from VBNC state and may pose risk to human. This paper summarizes the progress in the research of the VBNC state of V. cholerae for the better surveillance of V. cholerae.