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The Aerosol Survival and Cause of Death of Escherichia coli K12
Abstract
SUMMARY: The survival of Escherichia coli K12 HfrC sprayed from distilled water into a nitrogen atmosphere as a function of aerosol age and of storage relative humidity (RH) is demonstrated. The survival pattern was typically that of E. coli, i.e. marked instability in a region at high RH and better stability at low RH. The results of changing the RH from the storage RH to 10 % or 30% are described. Comparison of survival in nitrogen with that in air showed air to be slightly toxic, the toxic component being oxygen or a trace of some contaminant in it. Glycerol and raffinose were slightly protective as additives at high RH; at low RH glycerol was toxic, but raffinose was highly protective. It was discovered that E. coli K12 HfrC carried a temperate phage and that this phage was not activated by the processes involved in aerosol experiments. The synthesis of phages T3 and μ2 by E. coli K12 HfrC, collected from the aerosol, was examined. Phage production and viability were similar, and hence it is concluded that in a nitrogen atmosphere loss of viability was not caused by DNA inactivation, DNA synthesis inhibition or inhibition of cell-wall division, but by failure of RNA synthesis, protein synthesis or energy production.
- Accepted:
- Published Online:
© Society for General Microbiology 1968