Starvation survival of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in sea water before and after adaptation to salinity

The survival of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 in sea water was minimally influenced by light, temperature and the presence of an associated marine microflora. Pre-adaptation of cells to a salted medium attenuated the initial stress and even permitted their growth but did not modify their long-term survival. The majority of stressed cells were resuscitated in a nutritive medium prepared with sea water. The morphology of the resulting colonies varied considerably depending on the contact time with sea water and the medium used for enumeration of culturable cells.