Extremely-Low Frequency Magnetic Field Effects on Sulfate Reducing Bacteria Viability

Abstract

50 Hz magnetic fields effects on Sulfate Reducing Bacteria (SRB) viability were studied by colony forming units (CFU) counting. We found a 15% decrease of CFU number after magnetic field exposure (B=7.1 mT, f=50 Hz, t=24 min) compared to the control samples. These results are in good agreement with our previous work on other bacterial strains. The magnetic field effects on SRB are relatively large for small magnetic fields. The data correlations have been subjected to a simple physical chemical analysis, yielding surprisingly large estimates for the characteristic magnetic reaction susceptibility, even when the entire bacterium is assumed to be the direct target of interaction of the magnetic ac fields for the exposures in the time range from 3–24 min.

Keywords:

• Bacteria EMF effect
• Low-frequency magnetic fields
• Colony forming units
• SRB

Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the help of Prof. Eberhard Neumann and Dr. Thomas Doneux, in the initiative and specific advise to perform a physical chemical analysis of the experimental data correlations using the simplest possible approach of a direct field effect on components of the bacteria. This work was supported by the Grant Agency of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (Grant KAN 200040651), Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (Grant 202/08/1688, Grant 310/07/P480), the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (project No. 1M0528 and No. LC06035), and by institutional research plans (AVOZ 50040507, AVOZ 50040702).

Declaration of Interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.