Published Paper Details:

Heavy metal contamination in soil ecosystems poses a significant environmental and microbiological concern due to the persistent and toxic nature of metals such as Zinc and Cadmium. This study evaluated the microbial response to heavy metal-induced stress by isolating soil bacteria from industrially impacted areas in Bangalore, India. Using standard microbiological techniques, the isolates were cultured on various media and were exposed to various concentrations of Zn and Cd to evaluate their tolerance profiles. Disc diffusion assays were performed to determine zones of inhibition, revealing concentration-dependent sensitivity. Zinc showed moderate antimicrobial effects, with partial bacterial growth observed at lower concentrations, while cadmium exhibited strong toxicity and completely inhibited microbial growth in most cases. Subculturing in broth media further confirmed these observations, with visible growth in Zinc-supplemented Nutrient Broth but complete inhibition in Luria Broth, potentially due to me