Abstract

Survival of stressed Escherichia coli with or without the rpoS gene was assessed after 2 and 6 days in sterile seawater. Cells were submitted to thermal (48°C), acidic (pH 5.1), oxidative (H2O2 1mM), nutritional (C, N, P starvation), or osmotic (NaCl 0.5M) stresses for periods ranging from 0 to 4 h. We found a stress-mediated cross protection against seawater relative to controls. Viability was higher when cells were acid, oxidatively, nutritionally or osmotically stressed. Survival increased in cells stressed at 37°C as compared with 20°C. With the exception of osmotic stress, we found that this stress-induced cross protection was rpoS dependent.

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