THE EFFECT OF NaCl ON THE PHAGE-BACTERIUM REACTION

1. The presence of 0.25 M NaCl during the reaction between a staphylococcus phage and susceptible organisms results in a five to tenfold increase in the amount of phage produced. 2. Analysis of the reaction indicates that normal kinetic relationships exist until just before lysis occurs. At this time the organisms enter the stationary phase, lysis is delayed approximately 0.7 hour as compared with control mixtures and phage continues to be produced at the usual rapid rate. 3. Apparently there are conditions under which phage can be produced in the absence of bacterial growth although previous work has uniformly emphasized growth of the bacterial substrate as the prime conditioning factor for formation of phage.