STABILIZATION OF SERRATIA MARCESCENS AGAINST FREEZE DRYING OR AEROSOLIZATION BY METAL-BINDING SOLUTES
Abstract
Studies of the effects of solutes other than sugars upon the survival of Serratia marcescens (SM) subjected to freeze drying or aerosolization showed that the aerosol stability of that organism was markedly improved in the presence of some metal-binding compounds. In combination with minimally penetrable sugars, these solutes rendered the cells nearly as aerosol-stable as spores of Bacillus subtilis var. niger. Freezedrying stability of SM was enhanced (a) by some of the aerosol-stabilizing metal binders, and (b) by various nitrogenous compounds. Suitably chosen combinations of solutes proved capable of stabilizing SM both during aerosolization and during freeze drying. The stabilization of SM aerosolized at an unfavorable relative humidity depends upon the preservation of the integrity of metal-containing structures located in the cytoplasmic membrane. These structures may be protected (a) nonspecifically by an accelerated cellular dehydration induced by MP sugars, and (b) specifically, by metal-binding compounds that reversibly combine with the sensitive loci. These two types of compounds exert synergistic protective effects. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1962
- Accession Number
- AD0285541
Entities
People
- Leonard Zimmerman
Organizations
- United States Army Biological Warfare Laboratories