ABSTRACT
Persister cells are dormant or slowly grown variations in microbial populations .They are highly tolerant to antibiot-ics but the tolerance are not inherited as the genetic resistance , when persisters are inoculated to fresh medium , most bacteria are still susceptive to antibiotic , while only a small fractiont become persisters again .Persisters are believed to be closely related to clinic bio-film forming and the recurrence and recalcitrance of chronic infections .Different persisters have been found in Escherichia coli , Pseud-omonas aeruginosa , Staphyococcus aureus , Mycobacterium tuberculosis , Candida albicans and so on , and a few mechanisms about per-sisters formation have been studied .This article reviews the current progresses of research methods and achievements on persisters from different levels .