Kinetics of Bacterial Growth: Relationship between Population Density and Specific Growth Rate of Continuous Cultures

Abstract

SUMMARY: Results from studies of continuous cultures of Aerobacter aerogenes growing in chemically denned media indicate that specific growth rate (R) is a function of population density (P) as well as the concentration of the limiting nutrient (S). From these observations, and those of others, the following model for bacterial growth is derived: R = u m S B P + S where um and B are growth parameters that are constants under defined conditions. This model is believed to have general applicability and to account for bacterial growth in both batch and continuous cultures.