Examination of nanoparticle inactivation of Campylobacter jejuni biofilms using infrared and Raman spectroscopies.

AIMS: To investigate inactivation effect and mechanism of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) activity against Campylobacter jejuni biofilms. METHODS AND RESULTS: ZnO NPs with concentrations of 0, 0·6, 1·2 and 6 mmol l(-1) were employed in antimicrobial tests against Camp. jejuni planktonic cells and biofilms. Campylobacter jejuni sessile cells in biofilms were more resistant to a low concentration of ZnO NPs when compared to planktonic cells. The ZnO NPs penetrated the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) without damage to the EPS and directly interacted with the sessile bacterial cells, as determined using infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Raman spectroscopy shows alterations in quinone structures and damage to nucleic acids following Camp. jejuni treatment with ZnO NPs. The mechanism of DNA damage is most likely due to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Spectroscopic-based partial least squares regression (PLSR) models could predict the number of surviving sessile cell numbers within a bacterial biofilm (≥log 4 CFU, root mean square error of estimation <0·36) from Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectral measurements. CONCLUSIONS: ZnO NPs were found to have antimicrobial activity against Camp. jejuni biofilms. ZnO NPs penetrated the biofilm EPS within 1 h without damaging it and interacted directly with sessile cells in biofilms. Alterations in the DNA/RNA bases, which are owing to the generation of ROS, appear to result in Camp. jejuni cell death. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: ZnO NPs may offer a realistic strategy to eliminate Camp. jejuni biofilms in the environment.

Adhesion of Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia to solid surfaces: the role of surface charge and hydrophobicity.

Adhesion of Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia to four materials of different surface charge and hydrophobicity was investigated. Glass beads were used with and without three polymer coatings: aminosilines (A0750), fluorosilines (T2494), an amino cationic polymer. Surface charge density and hydrophobicity of the beads were characterized by measuring the zeta potential (ZP) and the contact angle, respectively. Adhesion was derived from batch experiments where negatively charged (oo)cysts were mixed with the beads and recovery was determined by counting (oo)cysts remaining in suspension using a flow cytometer. Experimental results clearly show that adhesion to solid surfaces of C. parvum is different from G. lamblia. Adhesion of C. parvum to positively charged, hydrophilic beads (82% recovery relative to control) indicated that surface charge was the more important factor for C. parvum, dominating any hydrophobic effects. Adhesion of G. lamblia cysts to negatively charged, hydrophobic beads (0% recovery relative to control) indicated that although hydrophobicity and surface charge both played a role in the adhesion of G. lamblia to solid surfaces, hydrophobicity was more important than surface charge.