diff --git a/swift/common/middleware/healthcheck.py b/swift/common/middleware/healthcheck.py
index cfb0b8a0ba..f9f6b24ea9 100644
--- a/swift/common/middleware/healthcheck.py
+++ b/swift/common/middleware/healthcheck.py
@@ -35,11 +35,11 @@ class HealthCheckMiddleware(object):
 
     def GET(self, req):
         """Returns a 200 response with "OK" in the body."""
-        return Response(request=req, body="OK", content_type="text/plain")
+        return Response(request=req, body=b"OK", content_type="text/plain")
 
     def DISABLED(self, req):
         """Returns a 503 response with "DISABLED BY FILE" in the body."""
-        return Response(request=req, status=503, body="DISABLED BY FILE",
+        return Response(request=req, status=503, body=b"DISABLED BY FILE",
                         content_type="text/plain")
 
     def __call__(self, env, start_response):
diff --git a/test/unit/common/middleware/test_healthcheck.py b/test/unit/common/middleware/test_healthcheck.py
index 3f95c6b2a8..34e29e424b 100644
--- a/test/unit/common/middleware/test_healthcheck.py
+++ b/test/unit/common/middleware/test_healthcheck.py
@@ -51,21 +51,21 @@ class TestHealthCheck(unittest.TestCase):
         app = self.get_app(FakeApp(), {})
         resp = app(req.environ, self.start_response)
         self.assertEqual(['200 OK'], self.got_statuses)
-        self.assertEqual(resp, ['OK'])
+        self.assertEqual(resp, [b'OK'])
 
-    def test_healtcheck_pass(self):
+    def test_healthcheck_pass(self):
         req = Request.blank('/', environ={'REQUEST_METHOD': 'GET'})
         app = self.get_app(FakeApp(), {})
         resp = app(req.environ, self.start_response)
         self.assertEqual(['200 OK'], self.got_statuses)
-        self.assertEqual(resp, ['FAKE APP'])
+        self.assertEqual(resp, [b'FAKE APP'])
 
     def test_healthcheck_pass_not_disabled(self):
         req = Request.blank('/healthcheck', environ={'REQUEST_METHOD': 'GET'})
         app = self.get_app(FakeApp(), {}, disable_path=self.disable_path)
         resp = app(req.environ, self.start_response)
         self.assertEqual(['200 OK'], self.got_statuses)
-        self.assertEqual(resp, ['OK'])
+        self.assertEqual(resp, [b'OK'])
 
     def test_healthcheck_pass_disabled(self):
         open(self.disable_path, 'w')
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ class TestHealthCheck(unittest.TestCase):
         app = self.get_app(FakeApp(), {}, disable_path=self.disable_path)
         resp = app(req.environ, self.start_response)
         self.assertEqual(['503 Service Unavailable'], self.got_statuses)
-        self.assertEqual(resp, ['DISABLED BY FILE'])
+        self.assertEqual(resp, [b'DISABLED BY FILE'])
 
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
diff --git a/tox.ini b/tox.ini
index 747e3e077c..c8baa7283c 100644
--- a/tox.ini
+++ b/tox.ini
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ commands =
       test/unit/cli/test_ringbuilder.py \
       test/unit/common/middleware/test_catch_errors.py \
       test/unit/common/middleware/test_gatekeeper.py \
+      test/unit/common/middleware/test_healthcheck.py \
       test/unit/common/middleware/test_proxy_logging.py \
       test/unit/common/ring \
       test/unit/common/test_constraints.py \