Method of testing the effectiveness of a growth inhibiting agent on a microorganism

摘要

The changes in the redox potentials of cultures of a microorganism with and without a tested growth inhibiting agent are monitored during the phase of growth in which the redox potential is normally positive and the rate of potential change is approximately linear. Effective growth inhibiting agents produce a measurable decrease in the change of the redox potential to a more negative value within less than one hour. A sensible signal indicative of the growth inhibiting action of the tested agent may be obtained from a comparator by storing an amplified signal indicative of the redox potential at a first time and feeding the stored signal together with another amplified signal obtained less than one hour thereafter to the comparator.