Outbreaks of new infectious diseases are occurring with increasing frequency and consequences, including wildlife diseases and zoonoses. The increasing emergence of infectious pathogens has many causes, all related to increasing anthropogenic impacts on nature. Some studies show how exposure to fields can enhance or reduce cellular activity, with possible application implications in the field of biotechnology. The effects of magnetic fields at the cellular level in microbial cells may include cell viability and proliferation, apoptosis, morphological changes, changes in metabolic and enzymatic activities, changes in ion transport into the cell, and genotoxicity and changes in gene expression. The aim of this study was to determine the differences in the somatic response of pathogen cells used in biotechnological processes exposed to an alternating electromagnetic field with a constant frequency of 50 Hz in three variants of exposure time. It was found that stimulation with an alternating electromagnetic field affects the somatic responses of microorganisms represented by their growth. The responses of the studied microorganisms are also related to their morphology.

Pulsed electric field (PEF) is a technology that uses short duration high intensity electrical pulses. Application of such a field causes electroporation of the cell membrane and consequently increases its permeability [1]. The genus Candida includes about 200 species, some of which are pathogenic to humans. These microorganisms are potentially used as a source of proteins, polysaccharides and biocomplexes in nutrition [7]. The mechanism of microbial inactivation by PEF is related to the formation of pores in the membrane, as indicated by many authors. The aim of this study is to determine the parameters of pulsed electric field affecting the lethality of selected Candida yeast strains, as well as to determine the percentage of dead cells, after PEF exposure. Depending on the voltage applied and the number of pulses, variation in yeast cell mortality is noted. In comparison with the control samples, with the increase in the number of pulses at each voltage variant, an increase in mortality among the tested yeast strains is observed.