Bacterial capture efficiency and antimicrobial activity of phage-functionalized model surfaces

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Materials Science
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose a significant global health threat.
• Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that infect bacteria and are being explored as alternatives to antibiotics.
• Functionalizing surfaces with phages could create antimicrobial environments in healthcare settings and on medical devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of bacteriophage-functionalized surfaces as antimicrobial agents.
• To characterize the impact of phage immobilization on their antibacterial activity.
• To determine how phage morphology and binding characteristics influence bacterial capture and inactivation.

Main Methods:

• Preparation and characterization of model surfaces functionalized with five distinct bacteriophage types using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy.
• Assessment of bacterial capture efficiency and host membrane disruption for Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium on functionalized surfaces.

Main Results:

• Immobilization of bacteriophages on surfaces altered their biofunctionality, affecting bacterial capture efficiency and the rate of host membrane disruption.
• Bacteriophage size, shape, and the positioning of binding proteins significantly impacted their ability to capture bacteria when immobilized.
• Symmetric bacteriophages demonstrated superior performance as antibacterial surface agents compared to asymmetric tailed phages.

Conclusions:

• Immobilized bacteriophages can effectively disrupt bacterial membranes, indicating their potential as antimicrobial surface candidates.
• The structural and binding properties of bacteriophages are critical factors for their efficacy in immobilized antimicrobial surface applications.
• This study provides insights into designing effective phage-based antimicrobial surfaces to combat bacterial infections.