Ask A Scientist© Molecular Biology Archive

Name         Ansleigh
status       student
age          14
>
Question -   Will I be able to kill bacteria using electrical shock?

>I wouldn't advise you experimenting with it, but yes,
>bacteria will be killed by electricity when the shock
>is high enough.
>Strange as it sounds, scientists use electricity on
>bacteria for a different purpose: a non-lethal shock
>can help 'shoot' DNA into a bacterial cell. That is
>called electroporation. We don't know exactly how it
>works, but imagine the electrical current 'draws' DNA
>into the bacterial cell. The bacteria then incorporate
>this DNA into their own, with the desired effect for
>scientific purpose. I know by experience that the
>bacteria don't survive if you give them too high a
>shock. So electrocutation is lethal for bacteria also.
>
>Trudy Wassenaar
=========================================================