Phenethyl Alcohol II. Effect on Thymine-Requiring Escherichia coli

Abstract

Rosenkranz, Herbert S. (Columbia University, New York, N.Y.), Howard S. Carr, and Harry M. Rose . Phenethyl alcohol. II. Effect on thymine-requiring Escherichia coli . J. Bacteriol. 89: 1370–1373. 1965.—Phenethyl alcohol (PEA) at levels (0.05%) presumed to interfere with messenger ribonucleic acid synthesis also inhibits thymineless death, when the agent is added prior to the exponential killing phase. The addition of more concentrated solutions of PEA (0.5%) during this initial starvation leads to an immediate killing. Identical results were obtained when 0.5% PEA was added to cells growing in the presence of thymine. The addition of this high level (0.5%) of PEA to bacteria undergoing thymineless death results in the rescue of the survivors.