Effects of ionizing and ultraviolet radiation on microbial mutation and DNA damage

Abstract

Physical sterilization methods using ultraviolet radiation and ionizing radiation such as gamma ray and electron beam are applied in various industry fields due to disinfection effects and economic efficiency but may also cause microbial mutation. In this research, Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli strains were treated with ionizing and ultraviolet radiation and their survival rate, mutation rate, and DNA damage were studied to evaluate the genetic safety. The survival rate of the strains decreased drastically as the irradiation dose of ultraviolet ray, gamma ray, and electron beam increased, and over 90% of the strain was exterminated at a dosage of 0.40~25.06 mJ/cm 3 , 0.11~0.22 kGy, 0.14~0.53 kGy respectively. In SOS / umu-test, genotoxicity causing DNA damage was identified in all samples. In Ames test, back-mutation rate increased to 3.82 × 10 -4 and 9.84 × 10 -6 respectively when exposed to ultraviolet ray and gamma ray. At exposure to ultraviolet ray, gamma ray, and electron beam with dosage of over 99.99% extinction rate of S. enterica TA100, back-mutation rate increased 347 times, 220 times, 0.6 times respectively to the spontaneous back-mutation rate. Rifampicin resistance mutation rate of E. coli CSH100 exposed to ultraviolet ray, gamma ray, and electron beam was 2.46 × 10 , 4.12 × 10 -7 respectively. Therefore, gamma radiation is effective in microorganism control from the perspective of disinfection and electron beam has the advantage of sterilizing with little DNA damage and bacterial mutation.