Response of standardised suspensions of Escherichia coli to iodine

Suspensions of Escherichia coli prepared from agar slopes by a standardised method were compared with washed suspensions, prepared by a centrifuging process, the dry weight of which was less than that of the unwashed suspensions for the same number of viable cells. In a series of experiments the dry weight of a given number of washed cells proved to be more constant than the dry weight of the same number of unwashed cells. The washed bacteria were more susceptible to iodine than the unwashed bacteria.