Bacterial biophotons as non‐local information carriers: Species‐specific spectral characteristics of a stress response. Issue 6 (31st October 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tessaro, Lucas W. E.; Dotta, Blake T.; Persinger, Michael A.
• Is Part Of: MicrobiologyOpen. Volume 8:Issue 6(2019)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2018-10-31
• Subjects: Biophotons -- cell stress -- E. coli -- non‐local communication -- S. marcescens; Microbiology -- Periodicals; 579
• DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.761
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2045-8827

Abstract

Abstract: Studies by Alexander Gurwitsch in the 1920' s with onion root cells revealed the phenomenon of mitogenetic radiation . Subsequent works by Popp, Van Wijk, Quickenden, Tillbury, and Trushin have demonstrated a link between Gurwitsch's mitogenetic radiation and the biophoton, emissions of light correlated with biological processes. The present study seeks to expand upon these and other works to explore whether biophoton emissions of bacterial cultures is used as an information carrier of environmental stress. Bacterial cultures ( Escherichia coli and Serratia marcescens ) were incubated for 24 hr in 5 ml of nutrient broth to stationary phase and cell densities of ~10 7 cells/mL. Cultures of E. coli were placed upon a photomultiplier tube housed within a dark box. A second bacterial culture, either E. coli or S. marcescens, was placed in an identical dark box at a distance of 5 m and received injections of hydrogen peroxide. Spectral analyses revealed significant differences in peak frequencies of 7.2, 10.1, and 24.9 Hz in the amplitude modulation of the emitted biophoton signal with respect to whether a peroxide injection occurred or not, and whether the species receiving the injection was E. coli or S. marcescens . These and the subsequent results of discriminant functions suggest that bacteria may release biophotons as a non‐local communication system in response to stress, and that these biophotons are species specific. Abstract : Two cultures of bacteria were placed in dark boxes 5 m apart, and one culture received injections of hydrogen peroxide while the other was recorded for biophoton emissions. We show that the emissions recorded differ in character from baseline measures, or those when there is no injection present. These data suggest bacteria communicate non‐locally.