Growth and Decay of a Planktonic Microbial Culture
Author
Source
International Journal of Microbiology
Issue
Vol. 2020, Issue 2020 (31 Dec. 2020), pp.1-8, 8 p.
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Publication Date
2020-01-24
Country of Publication
Egypt
No. of Pages
8
Main Subjects
Abstract EN
The paper shows that the phenomenological trends of both growth and decay of a microbial population in a given medium are easily reproducible with simple equations that allow gathering the experimental data (plate counts) related to different microbial species, in different mediums and even at different temperatures, in a single master plot.
The guideline of the proposed approach is that microbes and surrounding medium form a system where they affect each other and that the so-called “growth curve” is just the phenomenological appearance of such interaction.
The whole system (cells and medium) changes following a definite pathway described as the evolution of a “virtual” microbial population in planktonic conditions.
The proposed equations come from the assumption of a duplication mechanism with a variable generation time for the growth and of an exponential-like decline with a linear increase of the rate for the decay.
The intermediate phase between growth and decay is a time span during which growth and death counterbalance each other and age differences within the virtual cell population tend to level off.
The proposed approach does not provide an a priori description of this phase but allows the fit of the whole evolution trend of a microbial culture whenever the experimental data are available.
Deviations of such a trend concern microbes able to form spores, modify their metabolism, or express phenotypic heterogeneity, to counterbalance adverse medium conditions.
American Psychological Association (APA)
Schiraldi, Alberto. 2020. Growth and Decay of a Planktonic Microbial Culture. International Journal of Microbiology،Vol. 2020, no. 2020, pp.1-8.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1172120
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Schiraldi, Alberto. Growth and Decay of a Planktonic Microbial Culture. International Journal of Microbiology No. 2020 (2020), pp.1-8.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1172120
American Medical Association (AMA)
Schiraldi, Alberto. Growth and Decay of a Planktonic Microbial Culture. International Journal of Microbiology. 2020. Vol. 2020, no. 2020, pp.1-8.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-1172120
Data Type
Journal Articles
Language
English
Notes
Includes bibliographical references
Record ID
BIM-1172120