@article{mbs:/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/jmm.0.000789, author = "Lopes, E. and Piçarra, S. and Almeida, P. L. and de Lencastre, H. and Aires-de-Sousa, M.", title = "Bactericidal efficacy of molybdenum oxide nanoparticles against antimicrobial-resistant pathogens", journal= "Journal of Medical Microbiology", year = "2018", volume = "67", number = "8", pages = "1042-1046", doi = "https://doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.000789", url = "https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/jmm.0.000789", publisher = "Microbiology Society", issn = "1473-5644", type = "Journal Article", keywords = "multidrug-resistant bacteria", keywords = "bactericidal efficacy", keywords = "nanoparticles", keywords = "molybdenum oxide", abstract = "Multidrug-resistant bacteria pose a major threat to effective antibiotics and alternatives to fight multidrug-resistant pathogens are needed. We synthetized molybdenum oxide (MoO3) nanoparticles (NP) and determined their antibacterial activity against 39 isolates: (i) eight Staphylococcus aureus, including representatives of methicillin-resistant S. aureus epidemic clones; (ii) six enterococci, including vancomycin-resistant isolates; and (iii) 25 Gram-negative isolates (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterobacter cloacae), including extended spectrum beta-lactamases and carbapenemases producers. All isolates showed a MoO3 NP MIC of 700–800 mg l−1. MoO3 NP produced a clear inhibition zone for S. aureus and all Gram-negative isolates at concentrations ≥25 mg ml−1 and ≥50 mg ml−1 for enterococci. When the NP solutions were adjusted to pH ~7, the biocidal activity was completely abolished. MoO3 NP create an acidic pH and show a universal antimicrobial activity against susceptible and resistant isolates belonging to the most relevant bacterial species responsible for hospital-acquired infections.", }