Effect of Toxic Concentrations of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene on the Physical Properties and Morphology of Bacillus subtilis SK1 Cells

Abstract

It has been demonstrated for the first time that the toxic effect of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene on the gram-positive strain Bacillus subtilis SK1 is accompanied by a decrease in the cell size and an increase in the refraction index (i.e., density) and temperature resistance of the culture. These data suggest that determination of kinetic parameters of bacteria growing under conditions of toxic stress on the basis of optical density measurements may result in erroneous conclusions.