Some aspects of thermal injury in Escherichia coli.

The effects of different temperatures on the viability of, and leakage of 260 mmu-absorbing substances from, a strain of Escherichia coli have been studied. Results of experiments with suspensions stored in water and in 0.33 m sucrose, together with total counts of suspensions before and after heating, suggested that the initial damage inflicted on the cell was to the permeability barrier. However, it was concluded that the evidence presently available for supporting this hypothesis is inadequate.