Effect of some factors on determination of viable microbial cells by peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence method

The effects of physical and chemical factors on the production of H₂O₂ from Escherichia coli cells were studied. When 20 mmol 1^‐1 Tris‐HCl buffer was used for this purpose the electron transport system (ETS) showed the highest activity at pH 7.6‐8.2. KCN promoted the production of H₂O₂ from E. coli cells, and the optimum concentration was changed in different reaction times and pH values. Glucose, 5 mg ml^‐1, increased the ETS activity about twofold. The other substrates and surfactants did not increase the chemiluminescence intensity. NaNO₂ and Na₂SO₄ in inorganic salts significantly reduced the ETS activity above 70%. In addition, the optimum temperature for the production of H₂O₂ was 30°C in this study. When glucose (5 mg ml^‐1) and KCN (0.2 mmol 1^‐1) were added to the reaction buffer containing 0.5 mmol 1^‐1 menadione, the detectable minimum cell densities (averages of triplicate assay) of E. coli, Enterobacter cloacae and Serratia marcescens were 5 times 10³ cells ml^‐1, 10⁴ cells ml^‐1 and 10⁴ cells ml^‐1 respectively.