Effects of Radiofrequency EMF from Mobile Phones and Wi-Fi Router on the Growth Rate and Susceptibility of

Abstract

Effects of Radiofrequency EMF from Mobile Phones and Wi-Fi Router on the Growth Rate and Susceptibility of Enterococcus faecalis to Antibiotics Mortazavi SMJ, Taheri M, Paknahad M, Khandadash S. Effects of Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields Emitted from Mobile Phones and Wi-Fi Router on the Growth Rate and Susceptibility of Enterococcus faecalis to Antibiotics. J Biomed Phys Eng. 2022 Aug 1;12(4):387-394. doi: 10.31661/jbpe.v0i0.1268. Abstract Background: During the last decade, people have been dramatically exposed to radiation emitted from widely- used radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) generating devices. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of exposure to RF-EMF emitted from smart phones and Wi-Fi routers on the growth rate and antibiotic sensitivity of Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) as a pathogen in the root canals of teeth. Material and methods: In this experimental study, E. faecalis ATCC 19115 was used, characterized and confirmed by morphological and biochemical tests. Antibiotic susceptibility test was measured for several common antibiotics. To perform antibiotic susceptibility tests, disk diffusion (Kirby-Bauer) method on Mueller-Hinton agar plates was used before and after exposure to RF-EMFs emitted from a commercial Wi-Fi router or a mobile phone simulator. Moreover, we measured the optical density at 625 nm after different exposure times using a calibrated UV-visible spectrophotometer to evaluate the effect of RF-EMF exposure on the bacterial growth rate. Results: Exposure to RF-EMF significantly altered the antimicrobial sensitivity of the E. faecalis. While the susceptibility of the bacteria decreased significantly after 6 h of exposure, longer exposure time (e.g. exposure for 24 h) increased the susceptibility of the bacteria to all antibiotics. Furthermore, it was found that the bacteria tended to regress to their early state. Moreover, the non-exposed E. faecalis showed a slower growth rate than the bacteria exposed to RF-EMFs. Conclusion: Exposure to RF-EMF emitted by Wi-Fi routers or mobile phone simulator can significantly change the antibiotic susceptibility and growth rate of E. faecalis. Open access paper: jbpe.sums.ac.ir

AI evidence extraction

Main findings

Exposure to RF-EMF from a commercial Wi-Fi router or a mobile phone simulator significantly altered antibiotic sensitivity of E. faecalis: susceptibility decreased after 6 h exposure but increased after longer exposure (e.g., 24 h) to all antibiotics tested. Non-exposed bacteria showed a slower growth rate than RF-EMF-exposed bacteria.

Outcomes measured

• Bacterial growth rate (optical density at 625 nm)
• Antibiotic susceptibility/sensitivity (disk diffusion/Kirby-Bauer on Mueller-Hinton agar)

Limitations

• Frequency and exposure metrics (e.g., SAR, power density) not reported in the abstract
• Sample size/number of replicates not reported in the abstract
• Specific antibiotics tested not listed in the abstract
• In vitro bacterial study; generalizability to humans/clinical settings not addressed in the abstract

Suggested hubs

• school-wi-fi (0.55)
  Includes exposure from a Wi-Fi router (though studied in vitro, not in schools).

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    "study_type": "in_vitro",
    "exposure": {
        "band": "RF",
        "source": "mobile phone; wi-fi router",
        "frequency_mhz": null,
        "sar_wkg": null,
        "duration": "6 h and 24 h (also mentions different exposure times)"
    },
    "population": "Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 19115)",
    "sample_size": null,
    "outcomes": [
        "Bacterial growth rate (optical density at 625 nm)",
        "Antibiotic susceptibility/sensitivity (disk diffusion/Kirby-Bauer on Mueller-Hinton agar)"
    ],
    "main_findings": "Exposure to RF-EMF from a commercial Wi-Fi router or a mobile phone simulator significantly altered antibiotic sensitivity of E. faecalis: susceptibility decreased after 6 h exposure but increased after longer exposure (e.g., 24 h) to all antibiotics tested. Non-exposed bacteria showed a slower growth rate than RF-EMF-exposed bacteria.",
    "effect_direction": "mixed",
    "limitations": [
        "Frequency and exposure metrics (e.g., SAR, power density) not reported in the abstract",
        "Sample size/number of replicates not reported in the abstract",
        "Specific antibiotics tested not listed in the abstract",
        "In vitro bacterial study; generalizability to humans/clinical settings not addressed in the abstract"
    ],
    "evidence_strength": "low",
    "confidence": 0.7800000000000000266453525910037569701671600341796875,
    "peer_reviewed_likely": "unknown",
    "keywords": [
        "RF-EMF",
        "radiofrequency electromagnetic fields",
        "mobile phone simulator",
        "Wi-Fi router",
        "Enterococcus faecalis",
        "antibiotic susceptibility",
        "antimicrobial sensitivity",
        "growth rate",
        "disk diffusion",
        "Kirby-Bauer"
    ],
    "suggested_hubs": [
        {
            "slug": "school-wi-fi",
            "weight": 0.5500000000000000444089209850062616169452667236328125,
            "reason": "Includes exposure from a Wi-Fi router (though studied in vitro, not in schools)."
        }
    ]
}

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