This dissertation contains a mathematical study of the growth and division of the bacterium Bacillus subtilis. We have developed methods which allow us to study individual based models by finding a relationship between the growth and division rates and the steady state length distribution of the bacterial population. This has allowed us to draw conclusions about the life cycle of B. subtilis such as the fact that a minimum age, as well as a minimum size is required of cells before division can commence. We have shown that successive divisions of of the minicell producing mutant divIV-B1 are not independent, in the sense that whether a minicell was produced as a result of a division is not independent of minicells appearing in later divisions. Finally, we have shown that individual based models are a much more powerful tool for studying bacterial kinetics than traditional population based models.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/288880 |
| Date | January 1998 |
| Creators | Anderson, Kevin Roger, 1970- |
| Contributors | Watkins, Joseph |
| Publisher | The University of Arizona. |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text, Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. |
Page generated in 0.0017 seconds