Thread by @microbeminded2

Wow this is major 👉 In simple terms, infection can change the #electrical properties of #macrophages in a way that eventually directs the white blood cells away from the site of #infection...allowing the escape of the macrophages that contain pathogens

https://twitter.com/NatureRevMicro/status/1116367385022349313

Also, remember this study? 👉 which found that #bacteria in #biofilm communities not only coordinate their own behavior, but also influence the behavior of diverse species at a distance☝️via ion channel mediated long-range electrical signaling: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…

And this study 👉 which found that #bacteria in the human gut can generate #electricity☝️The genes that code for this electrical transfer were identified in hundreds of bacterial species, including human pathogens: nature.com/articles/s4158…

Also this study 👉 which found that what we call “#bacterial pili” can actually be highly conductive?☝️Aka: the team found #microbial nanowires made of stacked hemes can transport electrons over micrometers: cell.com/cell/fulltext/…

And yes, this was in the lab, but this team 👉 found that exposure to Wi-Fi + RF simulator #radiation (similar to that emitted by cell phones) could impede the manner in which #bacterial species L. monocytogenes + E. coli became susceptible to antibiotics:ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/28203…

With those and related studies taken together, it appears our bodies + our #microbial inhabitants may need a stable electrical environment to operate properly 👉 so we must better study how the growing “#internet of things” + smart devices might impact/modulate such stability

Another reason to study this is that, as we create a growing # of electrical/#bluetooth/"smart" devices to measure human #holobiont biological phenomena...we should probably make sure the #devices themselves are not interfering with the accuracy of data collected