Repair of heat injury in thymine auxotrophs of Escherichia coli.

Heat-induced damage in four strains of bacteria has been studied. It has been shown that the damage is repairable on incubation at 37 degrees C in a medium not supporting growth. The extent of repair is dependent upon the strain of bacterium chosen. Recovery from the damage is prominent in the case of filament-forming bacteria, and in non-filament formers, recovery is not totally absent.