Survival Rate Evaluation of Escherichia coli Exposed to Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Field

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effects of low-frequency (LF) electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation on the survival rate of E. coli. The viability of these bacteria was assessed before and post-exposure to determine growth rates through viable count techniques, which measure the reduction in CFU numbers, indicating the number of bacteria surviving the treatments. The exposure apparatus produced consistent, time-varying magnetic fields between 5 and 500 Hz and 1 and 3 mT, which exposed the bacteria to radiation for 90 minutes. All irradiated E. coli samples exhibited decreased growth rates compared to controls. Exposures at or above 100 Hz were more effective in reducing bacterial viability than those less than 100 Hz, with the lowest CFU value observed at 300 Hz and 2 mT with a maximum percentage change of (71.3%). While the lowest percentage change was observed after exposure to 5 Hz at 2 mT equal to 15.2%. Moreover, non-linear fluctuating behavior was observed demonstrating that bacterial samples were highly responsive to radiation when exposed to both magnetic flux density and low electromagnetic field. Our study demonstrated that certain LF-EMF parameters profoundly impact the growth rate of E. coli. These findings suggest that optimized LF EMF parameters could potentially affect microbial infections, reduce inflammation, and accelerate wound healing.