Which statement about bacterial spores is true?

• A. All bacteria form spores.
• B. Some bacteria form spores to protect from adverse conditions.
• C. Spores are the same as bacterial cells.
• D. Spore formation makes bacteria more susceptible to sanitizers.

Answer: (B)

Bacterial spores are a dormant, highly resistant form that only some bacteria produce to survive harsh conditions. This survival strategy kicks in for species like Bacillus and Clostridium when nutrients are scarce or the environment becomes hostile, allowing the organism to endure heat, drying, chemicals, and other stresses until conditions improve. Because of that extreme resilience, spores are not more susceptible to sanitizers; they often require specialized sporicidal treatments or higher heat and longer contact times to be inactivated. It’s also important to note that spores are not the same as active bacterial cells—they’re dormant structures that can later germinate back into vegetative cells when conditions become favorable. The other statements don’t fit because not all bacteria form spores, spores are not cells, and spore formation does not increase susceptibility to sanitizers.