Abstract

Abstract Summary

Overview

The study investigates the non-thermal effects of Wi-Fi radiation at 2.4 GHz, part of the non-ionizing electromagnetic fields (EMF), on various pathogenic bacteria including Escherichia coli 0157H7, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermis focusing on changes in antibiotic resistance, motility, metabolic activity, and biofilm formation.

Methods

• Use of Wi-Fi router as a source of microwave radiation.
• Exposure of bacterial cells to Wi-Fi radiation for durations of 24 and 48 hours.
• Assessment methods included disc diffusion on Müller Hinton agar for antibiotic susceptibility, motility agar for bacterial movement, and assays such as MTT and crystal violet for metabolic activity and biofilm formation respectively.

Findings

Exposure to Wi-Fi radiation:

• Impacted motility and antibiotic susceptibility in Escherichia coli 0157H7.
• Showed increased metabolic activity and biofilm formation ability across all tested bacterial strains.

Conclusion

The exposure to Wi-Fi radiation significantly affects bacterial behavior, increasing their antibiotic resistance and ability to form biofilms, potentially complicating the treatment of infections caused by these pathogens.