This collection will focus on cell culture techniques that investigate the response of extracellular stressors to bacterial growth. These may include but are not exclusive to light irradiation (ultraviolet and fluorescent white light), atmospheric-pressure plasmas, photoactive nanoparticles, or any combination of treatments. The onus will not be on the bactericidal efficacy of such treatments but will focus more on understanding the fate of the cells that survived the treatment and whether this could lead to the potential development of resistance towards subsequent treatments. Recently, it’s been shown that bacteria can develop resistance toward silver nanoparticles, and low concentrations of zinc oxide nanoparticles stimulate rather than inhibit bacterial growth. This highlights that the interaction between living systems and extracellular stressors is challenging and poorly understood. This collection aims to demonstrate the application of standard microbiological techniques in fundamental research investigating the potential development of resistance toward novel antibacterial treatments.