Pulsed electric fields reduce bacterial attachment to stainless steel plates.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the capacity of pulsed bilateral electric fields to control bacterial attachment on stainless steel plates. Previously sterilized circular metal plates of stainless steel were submerged in a liquid medium with a known concentration of Staphylococcus epidermidis and incubated for 1 hour at 36oC while a 200 Hz pulsed electric field of 18 V/cm was applied for 2.5 μseg and then sonicated for 5 minutes in 10 ml of saline.