# Immune Delay, Beyond Immune Evasion, as a Driver of Pathogen Propagation Competence Through Neutrophil Dysregulation, to be Mitigated by Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields (LF-EMF)

## TL;DR

This paper suggests that immune delay, not just immune evasion, plays a major role in how infections spread and proposes using low-frequency electromagnetic fields to counteract this delay.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is identifying immune delay as a driver of infection propagation and proposing LF-EMF as a mitigation strategy.

## Key findings

- Neutrophil dysregulation and immune delay contribute to the propagation competence of viral and bacterial infections.
- Low-frequency electromagnetic fields (LF-EMF) can activate neutrophils and potentially mitigate immune delay.
- Immune delay is a key factor in recurrent urinary tract infections caused by uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC).

## Abstract

This paper proposes that immune delay, beyond immune evasion, is key in the propagation competence of major viral and bacterial infections, and that the dynamics of infection and immune response suggest possibilities for mitigating the ensuing infectious diseases. Recent data show a critical role of neutrophils at various stages of viral and bacterial infections, revealing how early activation of neutrophils could help mitigate infectious diseases. It could prevent the gradual overactivation of subclasses of neutrophils and probably not induce it. In respiratory virus infections, an immune delay of several days allows the development of a high viral load supporting infectivity towards further hosts when a delayed and increased immune response takes place. Virus variants will optimize immune delay towards highest infectivity, supporting pandemic potential. The influenza virus, coronavirus, and several major bacterial infections exhibit such immune delay capability. Recurrent urinary tract infections (rUTI) are common, often associated with the causative uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) that has this capability, suggesting that immune delay is crucial in the pathogenesis of rUTI and other widespread bacterial infections. Counteracting immune delay, therefore, is a promising approach for mitigating infectious diseases with epidemic and pandemic presence or potential. Previously proven low-frequency electromagnetic field (LF-EMF)-induced neutrophil activation is such an approach.