“…Studies have correlated changes in (p)ppGpp levels to the expression of virulence traits, including stress survival (12,20,25,54), biofilm formation (2,25,46), antibiotic resistance (14,19,20,40), and persistence (5,14,20,21,35,42). In some cases, animal models have been used to provide unequivocal evidence of the role of (p)ppGpp in virulence (6,9,10,16,39,46).…”