A Self-Consistent Approach to the Lag Phase of Planktonic Microbial Cultures

A two-parameter model presented in a previous paper [1] allows description of the growth of duplicating microbes in planktonic conditions. The model does not explicitly account for the preceding lag phase, the duration of which can nonetheless be empirically assessed by shifting the growth trend to comply with the predictive model. This work shows that the duration of the lag phase determined in this way is consistent with the model as it is related to the maximum specific growth rate and to the previous virtual history of the microbial population. The formal expressions presented are in line with the experimental evidence of the inverse correlation between the duration of the lag phase and the sharpness of the growth trend and the overall extent of the growth span.