The Growth of Halophilic Bacteria in Concen- Trations of Sodium Chloride above Three Molar 1

Those bacteria that cause the reddening of salted hides and salted fish, commonly designated as halophiles, grow more luxuriantly in laboratory media as the salt concentration increases from about 3 molar to saturation. This stimulative effect of sodium chloride has been observed and reported by Clayton (^)/ Robertson (6), Lockhead (5), and Stuart and James (13), Halophilic bacteria also have been found to prefer slightly alkaline conditions for growth, as shown by Lefevre and Round (4), Stather and Liebscher {9, 10) y and Stuart, Frey, and James {11), Thus, if it could be demonstrated that solutions of commercial sodium chloride tend to become more alkaline as the concentration increases above a minimum of 3 molar, it might be possible to trace this stimulative effect to the establishment thereby of a more favorable reaction for growth.