%0 Journal Article %A WEBB, S. J. %T The Effects of Oxygen on the Possible Repair of Dehydration Damage by Escherichia Coli %D 1969 %J Microbiology, %V 58 %N 3 %P 317-326 %@ 1465-2080 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/00221287-58-3-317 %I Microbiology Society, %X SUMMARY Proflavine in the post-aerosolization plating medium lowered by over 80% the number of viable Escherichia coli b/r organisms recovered from aerosols of 55% relative humidity (RH) and above, but had no effect on the recovery of viable E. coli wp2s organisms. Oxygen enhanced the lethal action of semi-dehydration on E. coli strain b/r, held at 50% RH and below, but had less effect on the survival of E. coli wp2s. In addition, E. coli b/r organisms displayed an increased rate of respiration, and discharged 260 mμ absorbing material, when held at intermediate values of RH. These phenomena were not observed with E. coli wp2s organisms. Thus E. coli b/r seems to possess an energy consuming mechanism by which it is able to survive semi-dehydration above 55% RH by a discharge of damaged cell components. This mechanism is very slowly destroyed when the organisms are semi-dehydrated in nitrogen but, below 50% RH, it is rapidly inactivated by oxygen. It is suggested that the mechanism is a membrane-bound system, possibly involving the cytochrome chain. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-58-3-317