Figure 1

Bacterial pathogens proliferate more rapidly in the setting of metabolic acidosis. All bacterial strains tested, except for a methicillin-resistant S. aureus, had a marked growth advantage at moderately acidic pH levels (7.2-7.6) relevant to the clinical setting. Gram-negative bacteria are represented by dark blue bars while Gram-positive bacteria are represented by light blue bars. From [34] with permission.