Aerosol survival of Serratia marcescens as a function of oxygen concentration, relative humidity, and time

Abstract

Previously the kinetics of loss of viability of freeze-dried Serratia marcescens 8UK were determined by Cox and Heckly as a function of oxygen concentration and time. Results are presented here when dehydration is brought about by aerosolization into atmospheres of low relative humidity (RH) rather than by freeze-drying. As for freeze-dried S. marcescens, oxygen was toxic and viable decay followed the same kinetics with respect to oxygen concentration and time. The influence of RH upon viable decay (which was not studied in the previous report) was that above 65% RH oxygen was not toxic but was progressively more toxic as the humidity was further reduced. Kinetic analyses of the results indicate that the site for the toxic action of oxygen lies in the interspace between the cytoplasmic membrane and the cell wall. Such a finding is consistent with other data which suggest that cell division and (or) cell wall synthesis in bacteria are inhibited by oxygen.