Open Access

Article

Article ID: 1901

Induction of liquid bacterial and solid fungal cultures by conductive electrostimulation

by Manousos E. Kambouris, Grigoria Spanou, Stavroula Kritikou, Afroditi Milioni, Andreas Stathoulias, Stavroula Goudoudaki, Yiannis Manoussopoulos, Kariofyllis Karamperis, Aristea Velegraki, George P. Patrinos, Ioannis Giavasis

Microbiology Science and Technology, Vol.1, No.1, 2025;

This work seeks possible stimulative/inductive effects of conductive electrostimulation with alternating current on fungi and bacteria as a proof-of-principle. An iontophoresis device was used on solid fungal Petri dish cultures of six species belonging to four divisions versus identical controls to record differences of mycelial diameter as growth indicator over time. Six bacterial species of different shapes and Gram status were also tested in liquid cultures without or with (simultaneously or consecutively applied) mild heat pasteurization, incubated and then pour-cultured after successive dilutions. Enumeration of the colony forming units, versus proper controls indicated the effect. The fungi showed conditionally increased growth. The bacteria also showed conditional stimulative effects expressed as increased growth, in electrostimulated-only cultures; or as decrease of the detrimental effects of the pasteurization, if subjected to any combined regimen. No uniform set of parameters for either kind of stimulative results was identified, the window of susceptibility depending obviously on the organism; but also on the nutrient substrate. The method fits to green economy if developed and massively applied to the production of biopharmaceuticals, bacteriotherapeutics, metabolites and other bioproducts/ bioprocesses, the probiotics being an early candidate for commercialization.