Effect of millimeter waves on survival of UVC-exposed Escherichia coli

Bacterial cells of the strain Escherichia coli K12 were exposed to millimeter electromagnetic waves (mm waves) with and without additional exposure to ultraviolet light lambda = 254 nm (UVC). The mm waves were produced by a medical microwave generator emitting a 4-GHz-wide band around a 61 GHz center frequency and delivering an irradiation of 1 mW/cm2 and a standard absorption rate (SAR) of 84 W/kg to the bacteria. Exposure to the mm waves alone for up to 39 minutes did not change the survival rate of bacteria. Exposure to mm waves followed by UVC irradiation also did not alter the number of surviving E. coli cells in comparison to UVC-treated controls. When mm waves were applied after the UVC exposure, a dose-dependent increase of up to 30% in the survival of E. coli was observed compared to UVC + sham-irradiated bacteria. Because sham controls and experimental samples were maintained under the same thermal conditions, the effect is not likely to be due to heating, although the possibility of nonuniform distribution of microwave heating in different layers of irradiated bacterial suspension cannot be ruled out. The mechanism for this effect appears to involve certain DNA repair systems that act as cellular targets for mm waves.