General anaesthetics and bacterial luminescence. I. The effect of diethyl ether on the in vivo light emission of Vibrio fischeri.

The factors which determine the sensitivity of bacterial luminescence to inhibition by the general anaesthetic, diethyl ether, have been investigated. The in vivo luminescent reaction of Vibrio fischeri displays a change in sensitivity to this agent during the bacterial growth cycle. This variation is particularly marked during the lag phase of growth and detailed investigations of the effect of potassium cyanide and w-decanal on the potency of ether during this early period are described. The results suggest th a t fluctuations in the substrate levels available to the light-producing enzyme are responsible for the variation in sensitivity to ether.