Abstract
Majority of research on the influence of magnetic fields on microorganisms has been carried out with the use of different species or different groups of microorganisms, but not with the use of different strains belonging to one species. The purpose of the present study was to assess the effect of rotating magnetic fields (RMF) of 5 and 50 Hz on the growth and cellular metabolic activity of eight species of bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterobacter cloacae, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Bacillus cereus. However, contrary to the research conducted so far, each species was represented by at least four different strains. Moreover, an additional group of S. aureus belonging to a single clonal type but representing different biotypes was also included in the experiment. The results showed a varied influence of RMF on growth dynamics and cellular metabolic activity, diversified to the greatest extent in dependence on the bacterial strain exposed to the RMF and to a lesser extent in dependence on the frequency of the generated magnetic field. It was found that, with regard to the exposed strain of the same species, the effect exerted by the RMF may be positive (i.e., manifests as the increase in the growth rate or/and cellular metabolic activity) or negative (i.e., manifests as a reduction of both aforementioned features) or none. Even when one clonal type of S. aureus was used, the results of RMF exposure also varied (although the degree of differentiation was lower than for strains representing different clones). Therefore, the research has proven that, apart from the previously described factors related primarily to the physical parameters of the magnetic field, one of the key parameters affecting the final result of its influence is the bacterial intraspecies variability.
Highlights
The ability to modify microorganisms’ behavior, understood as the level of metabolic activity or rate of cellular division, is pivotal from the point of view of biotechnology and medicine, as it allows for the increase in the yield of microbiologically derived products or the decrease in the symptoms of infection
Macrorestrictive DNA analysis of the investigated staphylococci using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) showed that all isolates belonged to different PFGE types and, according to the established criteria (genetic similarity coefficient (Sab) was 65.7%), constituted different clones (Figure 1)
Macrorestrictive DNA analysis of the investigated staphylococci using PFGE showed that all isolates belonged to different PFGE types and, according to the established cr7itoefr2ia4 (genetic similarity coefficient (Sab) was 65.7%), constituted different clones (Figure 1)
Summary
The ability to modify microorganisms’ behavior, understood as the level of metabolic activity or rate of cellular division, is pivotal from the point of view of biotechnology and medicine, as it allows for the increase in the yield of microbiologically derived products or the decrease in the symptoms of infection. The measures applied for such modifications include a vast spectrum of agents/stimuli, which can be chemical or physical. Belonging to the latter category, the electromagnetic field (EMF) can be viewed as a combination of an electric field (EF) and a magnetic field (MF). The first studies on the influence of magnetic fields (MFs) on organisms started at the end of the 19th century This line of investigation was intensified in subsequent decades, mostly fueled by a growing interest in the impact of fields generated by electric and telecommunication networks on the health and behavior of humans and such animals as bees or birds [1]. Numerous studies have been published on the influence of different types of MFs on various parameters associated with microorganisms (Table 1)
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