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Updated: Jun 20, 2026

In Situ Measurement and Correlation of Cell Density and Light Emission of Bioluminescent Bacteria
Published on: June 28, 2018
Hormesis response of marine and freshwater luminescent bacteria to metal exposure
Kaili Shen1, Chaofeng Shen, Yuan Lu
1Department of Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University, Huajiachi Campus, 268 Kaixuan Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310029, China.
Abstract:
The stimulatory effect of low concentrations of toxic chemicals on organismal metabolism, referred to as hormesis, has been found to be common in the widely used luminescence bioassay. This paper aims to study the hormesis phenomenon in both marine and freshwater luminescent bacteria, named Photobacterium phosphorem and Vibrio qinghaiensis. The effects of Cu (II), Zn (II), Cd (II) and Cr (VI) on luminescence of these two bacteria were studied for 0 to 75 minutes exposure by establishing dose- and time-response curves. A clear hormesis phenomenon was observed in all four testing metals at low concentrations under the condition of luminescence assays.
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