**5. Evaluation of the possible role of antibiotics and other stressors in triggering VBNC cells and culturable persisters in** *P. aeruginosa* **biofilms**

After demonstrating VBNC *P. aeruginosa* cells in the lungs of CF patients (6), a key issue was to establish the factors that trigger their induction. We therefore examined the role of antibiotic treatments and of some environmental stressors that are found in the CF lung [51, 58], in selecting and maintaining persister cells, particularly VBNC cells.
