The Correlation of Bacterial Growth with Oxygen Consumption

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Abstract
The observation has been confirmed that the respiration per cell is highest during the early phase of the logarithmic period of growth. When, however, the bacterial content is detd. nephelometrically, it has been found that, under favorable conditions, the O2 uptake is directly proportional to the bacterial content for growing cultures of several organisms, viz. Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas ftuorescens, and Staphylococcus aureus. The measurement of the rate of O2 uptake is suggested as a measurement of the rate of growth. To facilitate counting a method was developed for staining bacteria. A dispersion agent which prevents clumping of the cells in the presence of the stain was used.