A new superconducting magnet system for bacterial cultivation has been
developed. The superconducting magnet has a horizontal room temperatu
re bore with a diameter of 160 mm, and provides a homogeneous magnetic
field of 7 T +/- 0.5% for a 200 mm long x 100 mm diameter region. Thi
s homogeneous field region contains an incubator, where bacteria are c
ultivated aerobically at 10-70-degrees-C +/- 0.1-degrees-C while being
shaken. The culture exposed to the high magnetic field is compared wi
th a control culture incubated at below geomagnetic field strength. Cu
ltivation of Escherichia coli was carried out both in homogeneous and
in inhomogeneous fields, and 1.4-3.6 times the number of viable cells
of the control culture was observed in a stationary phase.