Locomotor Activity of Ixodes ricinus Females in 900 MHz Electromagnetic Field

2022 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 759

Under laboratory conditions, in the radiation-shielded tube (RST) test there were no differences in preference for irradiated versus shielded parts. In the circular open-field arena, ticks spent significantly more time and had significantly longer trajectorie…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2022

Study typeanimal

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Locomotor Activity of Ixodes ricinus Females in 900 MHz Electromagnetic Field Vargová B, Majláth I, Kurimský J, Cimbala R, Zbojovský J, Tryjanowski P, Majláthová V. Locomotor Activity of Ixodes ricinus Females in 900 MHz Electromagnetic Field. Life (Basel). 2022 Jun 13;12(6):884. doi: 10.3390/life12060884. Abstract Mobile telecommunications technologies have become an indispensable part of people’s lives of all ages around the world. They affect personal life and social interactions and are a work tool in the work routine. Network availability requirements and the quality of the Internet connection are constantly increasing, to which telecommunications providers are responding. Humans and wildlife live in the permanent presence of electromagnetic radiation with just a minor knowledge of the impact this radiation has. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of a 900 MHz electromagnetic field (EMF) on the locomotor behavior of female Ixodes ricinus ticks under laboratory conditions. Experiments were performed in the radiation-shielded tube (RST) test and radiation-shielded circular open-field arena placed in an anechoic chamber. Altogether, 480 female I. ricinus ticks were tested. In the RST arena, no differences in preference for irradiated and shielded parts of experimental modules were observed; in the open-field arena, the time spent and the trajectory passed was significantly longer in the part exposed to the EMF. Conclusions Cell phone use, an exponentially expanding phenomenon introducing electromagnetic load in the environment, inevitably has a biological effect on all living organisms. This does not exclude ticks, epidemiologically very important parasites. EMFs emit a very weak signal to animals (vertebrate and invertebrates), and the evidence of animal response to this signal may be diminished by the plethora of other, stronger signals. To provide evidence unequivocally showing the response to the presence of an EMF is difficult and needs different approaches, such as behavioral tests, and possibly evidence on molecular levels. The number of publications in this field is rising very slowly. In our pilot study, we determined that ticks reacted to the presence of a man- made EMF and a change in the I. ricinus female tick locomotor behavior occurred when exposed to 900 MHz frequency. In future studies, it is crucial to test other frequencies, other EMF sources, other tick species, and possibly use the results of behavioral tests as a starting point leading to studying the impact and the changes triggered by EMF exposure at the cellular or molecular level. Open access paper: mdpi.com

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeanimal

Effect directionmixed

PopulationFemale Ixodes ricinus ticks

Sample size480

ExposureRF · 900 MHz

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Locomotor behavior/activity
Preference for irradiated vs shielded area (RST test)
Time spent in EMF-exposed area (open-field arena)
Trajectory length/distance traveled (open-field arena)

Limitations

Pilot study (as described by authors)
Only one frequency tested (900 MHz)
Only female Ixodes ricinus tested
Exposure metrics such as SAR not reported in the provided abstract
Duration of exposure not reported in the provided abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "animal",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "mobile telecommunications (implied)",
    "frequency_mhz": 900,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "Female Ixodes ricinus ticks",
  "sample_size": 480,
  "outcomes": [
    "Locomotor behavior/activity",
    "Preference for irradiated vs shielded area (RST test)",
    "Time spent in EMF-exposed area (open-field arena)",
    "Trajectory length/distance traveled (open-field arena)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Under laboratory conditions, in the radiation-shielded tube (RST) test there were no differences in preference for irradiated versus shielded parts. In the circular open-field arena, ticks spent significantly more time and had significantly longer trajectories in the EMF-exposed part.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Pilot study (as described by authors)",
    "Only one frequency tested (900 MHz)",
    "Only female Ixodes ricinus tested",
    "Exposure metrics such as SAR not reported in the provided abstract",
    "Duration of exposure not reported in the provided abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "Ixodes ricinus",
    "tick",
    "locomotor behavior",
    "open-field arena",
    "radiation-shielded tube",
    "anechoic chamber",
    "900 MHz",
    "RF EMF",
    "mobile telecommunications"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.3390/life12060884
PubMed: Not supplied

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