<p>The sensitivity of sublethally injured <i>Escherichia coli</i> O157:H7 caused by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma to diverse environmental factors was investigated in the work. The sublethally injured <i>E. coli</i> cells were achieved by DBD plasma treatment at 18&#xa0;W for 40&#xa0;s. The cultivability of injured cells decreased progressively with increasing NaCl concentration in trypticase soy agar (TSA). Although both normal and injured cells were sensitive to mild heat, the latter exhibited increased sensitivity. Incubation at pH 3.0 and 4.0 for 40&#xa0;min had no effect on the viable counts of normal cells. However, exposure to pH 4.0 for the same duration reduced the viable counts of injured cells from 6.05 to 3.51 log₁₀ CFU/mL, whereas a 30-min exposure to pH 3.0 caused a reduction of over 6.0 log₁₀ CFU/mL. The acids used in this study did not result in the inactivation of normal cells, but all of them inactivated injured <i>E. coli</i> cells, with the reduction ranging from 0.51 to 2.81 log₁₀ cycles. Moreover, natural preservatives and H₂O₂ utilized in the work led to an extra reduction of injured cells from 2.05 to 4.45 log₁₀ cycles, yet the survival of normal cells was not influenced. These findings indicate that DBD plasma-induced injured <i>E. coli</i> O157:H7 cells present a higher sensitivity to high osmotic pressure, mild heat, acids, natural preservatives, as well as H₂O₂. These suggest the potential of a synergistic approach combining DBD plasma with other technologies to inactivate microorganisms.</p>