BACTERIAL SPORES II. A STUDY OF BACTERIAL SPORE GERMINATION IN RELATION TO ENVIRONMENT

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Abstract
Because of the marked variability in germination of both heated and unheated spores, depending on the stimuli supplied in the environment, the deduction is made that bacterial spores in the process of germination are vitally active bodies having requirements for metabolic function the same as, or more exacting and specific than, those of vegetative cells. Experimental evidence is presented to show that dormancy in aerobic bacterial spores is largely, if not entirely, determined by conditions in the environment, and that these factors must be taken into consideration, perhaps specifically for each species, before so-called "inherent" or "normal" dormancy of bacterial spores can be established.