Athermal effects of continuous microwave irradiation on growth and antibiotic sensitivity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1

2016 · Mixed · Low evidence

← Research stream

MixedLow evidencePaper 1432

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2016

Study typein_vitro

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Athermal effects of continuous microwave irradiation on growth and antibiotic sensitivity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 Nakouti I, Hobbs G, Teethaisong Y, Phipps D. A demonstration of athermal effects of continuous microwave irradiation on the growth and antibiotic sensitivity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. Biotechnol Prog. 2016 Oct 28. doi: 10.1002/btpr.2392. Abstract Stress, caused by exposure to microwaves (2.45GHz) at constant temperature (37± 0.5o C), alters the growth profile of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. In the absence of microwave treatment a simple, highly reproducible growth curve was observed over 24 hours or more. Microwave treatment caused no reduction in growth during the first 6 hours, but at a later stage (>12hours) the growth was markedly different to the controls. Secondary growth, typical of the presence of persisters clearly became apparent, as judged by both the dissolved oxygen and the cell density profiles. These treated cells showed distinct morphological changes, but on re-growth these cells reverted to normal. The Microwave Induced Persisters were subject to antibiotic challenge (tobramycin) and showed increased sensitivity when compared to the un-stressed planktonic cells. This is in marked contrast to antibiotic induced persisters which show increased resistance. This provides evidence for both a non-thermal effect of microwaves ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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 typein_vitro

Effect directionmixed

PopulationNot supplied

Sample sizeNot supplied

Exposuremicrowave · 2450 MHz

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Exposure to continuous microwaves (2.45 GHz) at constant temperature (37±0.5°C) altered the later-stage (>12 h) growth profile of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 compared with controls, with secondary growth consistent with persister presence based on dissolved oxygen and cell density profiles. Treated cells showed distinct morphological changes that reverted to normal upon re-growth, and microwave-induced persisters showed increased sensitivity to tobramycin compared with unstressed planktonic cells.

Outcomes measured

Bacterial growth profile over time
Dissolved oxygen profile
Cell density profile
Morphological changes
Antibiotic sensitivity to tobramycin
Persister-like secondary growth

Limitations

No exposure duration details beyond timepoints (e.g., >12 h) are specified.
No dosimetry metrics (e.g., SAR, power density) are reported in the abstract.
Sample size and replication details are not provided.
Study is in vitro (bacterial model), limiting direct relevance to human health outcomes.

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "in_vitro",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "microwave",
    "source": null,
    "frequency_mhz": 2450,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": null,
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Bacterial growth profile over time",
    "Dissolved oxygen profile",
    "Cell density profile",
    "Morphological changes",
    "Antibiotic sensitivity to tobramycin",
    "Persister-like secondary growth"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Exposure to continuous microwaves (2.45 GHz) at constant temperature (37±0.5°C) altered the later-stage (>12 h) growth profile of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 compared with controls, with secondary growth consistent with persister presence based on dissolved oxygen and cell density profiles. Treated cells showed distinct morphological changes that reverted to normal upon re-growth, and microwave-induced persisters showed increased sensitivity to tobramycin compared with unstressed planktonic cells.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "No exposure duration details beyond timepoints (e.g., >12 h) are specified.",
    "No dosimetry metrics (e.g., SAR, power density) are reported in the abstract.",
    "Sample size and replication details are not provided.",
    "Study is in vitro (bacterial model), limiting direct relevance to human health outcomes."
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "microwave",
    "2.45 GHz",
    "athermal effects",
    "non-thermal effects",
    "Pseudomonas aeruginosa",
    "growth",
    "persisters",
    "tobramycin",
    "antibiotic sensitivity",
    "morphology"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": []
}

AI can be wrong. Always verify against the paper.

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: 10.1002/btpr.2392
PubMed: Not supplied

Read the original paper →

Related papers

← Back to the Research Library