Description of a "phoenix" phenomenon in the growth of Campylobacter jejuni at temperatures close to the minimum for growth.

When Campylobacter jejuni cultures that had been grown in broth at 39 degrees C were subcultured into fresh medium at 30 degrees C, there was a transient period of growth followed by a decline in viable-cell numbers before growth resumed once more. We propose that this complex behavior is the net effect of the growth of inoculum cells followed by a loss of viability due to oxidative stress and the subsequent emergence of a spontaneously arising mutant population that takes over the culture.