This work presents results of the study which concerns the influence of the rotating magnetic field (RMF) on the growth rate, cell metabolic activity and ability to form biofilms by E. coli and S. aureus. Liquid cultures of the bacteria were exposed to the RMF (RMF frequency f = 1-50 Hz, RMF magnetic induction B = 22-34 mT, time of exposure t = 60 min, temperature of incubation 37 °C). The present study indicate the exposition to the RMF, as compared to the unexposed controls causing an increase in the growth dynamics, cell metabolic activities and percentage of biofilm-forming bacteria, in both S. aureus and E. coli cultures. It was also found that the stimulating effects of the RMF exposition enhanced with its increasing frequencies and magnetic inductions.

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of the rotating magnetic field (RMF) on the growth, cell metabolic activity and biofilm formation by S. aureus, E. coli, A. baumannii, P. aeruginosa, S. marcescens, S. mutans, C. sakazakii, K. oxytoca and S. xylosus. Bacteria were exposed to the RMF (RMF magnetic induction B = 25-34 mT, RMF frequency f = 5-50 Hz, time of exposure t = 60 min, temperature of incubation 37 °C). The persistence of the effect of exposure (B = 34 mT, f = 50 Hz, t = 60 min) on bacteria after further incubation (t = 300 min) was also studied. The work showed that exposure to RMF stimulated the investigated parameters of S. aureus, E. coli, S. marcescens, S. mutans, C. sakazakii, K. oxytoca and S. xylosus, however inhibited cell metabolic activity and biofilm formation by A. baumannii and P. aeruginosa. The results obtained in this study proved, that the RMF, depending on its magnetic induction and frequency can modulate functional parameters of different species of bacteria.

This study presents results of research on the influence of rotating magnetic field (RMF) of the induction of 30 mT and the frequency of 50 Hz on the growth dynamics and cell metabolic activity of E. coli and S. aureus, depending on the exposure time. The studies showed that the RMF caused an increase in the growth and cell metabolic activity of all the analyzed bacterial strains, especially in the time interval t = 30 to 150 min. However, it was also found that the optical density and cell metabolic activity after exposition to RMF were significantly higher in S. aureus cultures. In turn, the study of growth dynamics, revealed a rapid and a significant decrease in these values from t = 90 min) in the case of E. coli samples. The obtained results prove that RMF (B = 30 mT, f = 50 Hz) has a stimulatory effect on the growth and metabolic activity of E. coli and S. aureus. Furthermore, taking into account the time of exposure, stronger influence of RMF on the viability was observed in S. aureus cultures, which may indicate that this effect depends on the shape of the exposed cells.

The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare genes encoding superantigens (SAgs) in Staphylococcus xylosus and Staphylococcus aureus isolates collected simultaneously from milk of the same cows with clinical mastitis. Genes encoding staphylococcal enterotoxins and enterotoxin-like proteins (sea-selu), toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (tst-1) and exfoliative toxins (eta and etd) were investigated. It was found that among 30 isolates of S. xylosus, 16 (53.3%) harbored from 1 to 10 SAg genes. In total, in 16 SAg positive S. xylosus, 11 different enterotoxin genes were detected: sec, sed, seg, seh, sei, selm, seln, selo, selp, ser, selu and one etd gene encoding exfoliative toxin D. The most prevalent genes were ser, selu, and selo. Among all the positive isolates of S. xylosus, a total of 14 different SAg gene combinations were detected. One combination was repeated in 3 isolates, whereas the rest were detected only once. However, in the case of S. aureus all the 30 isolates harbored the same combination of SAg genes: seg, sei, selm, seln, selo and on the basis of PFGE analysis all belonged to the same clonal type. Also noteworthy was the observation that SAg genes detected in S. aureus have also been found in S. xylosus. The findings of this study further extend previous observations that SAg genes are present not only in S. aureus but also in coagulase-negative staphylococci, including S. xylosus. Therefore, taking into account that the SAg genes are encoded on mobile genetic elements it is possible that these genes can be transferred between different species of coexisting staphylococci.

The chemical composition of the essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts of Thymus serpyllum and Thymus serpyllum‘Aureus’ has been investigated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Forty-seven compounds (99.67% of the total oil) wereidentified in the essential oil of T. serpyllum. The main components found in the oil were carvacrol (37.49%), -terpinene (10.79%), -caryophyllene (6.51%), p-cymene (6.06%), (E)--ocimene (4.63%) and -bisabolene (4.51%). Similarly, carvacrol (44.93%), -terpinene(10.08%), p-cymene (7.39%) and -caryophyllene (6.77%) dominated in the oil of T. serpyllum ‘Aureus’. A total of forty three compounds wereidentified in this oil, representing 99.49% of the total oil content. On the basis of the obtained data it was proved that the content of 1-octen-3-ol,eucalyptol, (Z)--ocimene, (E)--ocimene, -terpinene, carvacrol methyl ether, germacrene D and -bisabolene was significantly higher for T.serpyllum while T. serpyllum ‘Aureus’ was characterized by a significantly higher content of 3-octanone, 3-octanol, p-cymene, borneol andcarvacrol. The isolated essential oils were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity against nine reference strains (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcusaureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus agalactiae, Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus cereus, Micrococcus luteus, Proteus vulgaris and Candidaalbicans) by the microdilution technique. Based on this test, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of essential oil were calculated. Thevolatile oil obtained from T. serpyllum showed the highest antimicrobial activity relative to the strain of E. coli (MIC=0.025 μL/mL) and to theyeast C. albicans (MIC=0.05 μL/mL). Similarly, a significant antimicrobial activity exhibited T. serpyllum ‘Aureus’ essential oil, although the MICvalues obtained in that case for E. coli and C. albicans strains were twice as high and were respectively 0.05 μL/mL and 0.1 μL/mL.