The Effect of Hydrogen Peroxide on Spores of Clostridium bifermentans

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Abstract
The effect of H2O2 on the germination, colony formation and structure of spores of C. bifermentans was examined. Treatment with 0.35 M H2O2 increased the germination rate at 25.degree. C but increasing the temperature or concentration of H2O2 decreased both the germination rate and colony formation. The presence of Cu2+ increased the lethal effect of H2O2 on colony formation as much as 3000-fold. Pre-incubation of spores with Cu2+ before treatment with H2O2 produced a similar increase, but this could be eliminated by washing the spores with dilute acid or EDTA. H2O2 removed protein from spores, apparently from the coat, and treatment with dithiothreitol, which also removes spore-coat protein, increased the lethal effect of H2O2 500-fold, suggesting that spore-coat protein has a protective effect against H2O2.