Quantitative Analysis of Bacterial Aggregation Mediated by Bioactive Nanoparticles

Polymeric nanoparticles with surface-tethered mannoses were synthesized for the binding to bacteria bearing mannose-specific adhesins, as reported previously. Presented here are experimental results that quantify the magnitude of cell aggregation mediated by the bioactive nanoparticles. The colony forming unit (CFU) assay suggested a reduction of up to 99%, consistent with the fluorescence microscopy images showing large bacterial cell clumps of hundreds to thousands of bacteria. The specificity of the bacterial-binding and potential applications of the bioactive nanoparticles as antibacterial agents are discussed.