Shoemaker and Piersons? studied the Phoenix phenomenon using C. perfringens strain in cooked meat medium (CCM) between 50 and 52°C. The typical phenomenon was observed at 51.7°C with C. perfringens (which is a thermoduric bacterium) and appeared to involve three phases. The first-the injury phase-was characterized by a decrease in plate count. The second-the repair phase-was characterized by an increase in plate count to the initial level. The third phase-the growth phase-was where the plate count actually increased. They found that the Phoenix phenomenon was dependent on culture conditions (e.g., temperature and strict anaerobic conditions) as well as on diluent and culture media. There was more injury with increasing temperature up to 52°C for this bacterium, which was shown by decreasing recoveries on the CCM.