Silver and Iron Oxide Nanoparticles as Potential Therapeutics against Escherichia coli Isolated from Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Pathogens
Vaishnavi K. Pidadi *
Department of Microbiology, IHLR&SS, Sardar Patel Mahavidyalaya, Chandrapur, Maharashtra, India.
Vaishali U. Thool *
Department of Microbiology, IHLR&SS, Sardar Patel Mahavidyalaya, Chandrapur, Maharashtra, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are a significant concern due to the formation of biofilms by pathogens such as Escherichia coli. This study evaluates the antibiofilm efficacy of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and iron oxide nanoparticles (FeONPs) against clinical E. coli isolates from CAUTI patients. Clinical E. coli isolates were procured from catheterized patient urine samples and identified using HiCrome UTI Agar and VITEK 2 Compact system. AgNPs and FeONPs were prepared in DMSO and tested at concentrations from 5 to 100 µg/mL using a modified crystal violet assay. AgNPs exhibited superior antibiofilm activity compared to FeONPs; at 5 µg/mL, AgNPs achieved 65.35% inhibition, rising to 92.38% at 100 µg/mL. FeONPs exhibited significantly lower inhibition, with a maximum of 63.47% at a concentration of 100 µg/mL. The minimum biofilm inhibitory concentrations (MBIC) indicated AgNPs had an MBIC₅₀ of 5 µg/mL, while FeONPs ranged from 40 to 80 µg/mL, highlighting the disparity in efficacy. AgNPs demonstrate promising potential as an alternative or adjunctive therapy for preventing and treating CAUTI-associated infections due to their superior antibiofilm properties.
Keywords: Silver nanoparticles, iron oxide nanoparticles, antibiofilm, Escherichia coli, catheter-associated urinary tract infections