Selenium nanoparticles inhibit Staphylococcus aureus growth

Phong A Tran1, Thomas J Webster21Physics Department, 2School of Engineering and Department of Orthopedics, Brown University, Providence, RI, USAAbstract: Staphylococcus aureus is a key bacterium commonly found in numerous infections. S. aureus infections are difficult to treat due to their biofilm f...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Tran PA, Webster TJ
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Dove Medical Press 2011-07-01
Series:International Journal of Nanomedicine
Online Access:http://www.dovepress.com/selenium-nanoparticles-inhibit-staphylococcus-aureus-growth-a7986
Description
Summary:Phong A Tran1, Thomas J Webster21Physics Department, 2School of Engineering and Department of Orthopedics, Brown University, Providence, RI, USAAbstract: Staphylococcus aureus is a key bacterium commonly found in numerous infections. S. aureus infections are difficult to treat due to their biofilm formation and documented antibiotic resistance. While selenium has been used for a wide range of applications including anticancer applications, the effects of selenium nanoparticles on microorganisms remain largely unknown to date. The objective of this in vitro study was thus to examine the growth of S. aureus in the presence of selenium nanoparticles. Results of this study provided the first evidence of strongly inhibited growth of S. aureus in the presence of selenium nanoparticles after 3, 4, and 5 hours at 7.8, 15.5, and 31 µg/mL. The percentage of live bacteria also decreased in the presence of selenium nanoparticles. Therefore, this study suggests that selenium nanoparticles may be used to effectively prevent and treat S. aureus infections and thus should be further studied for such applications.Keywords: antibacterial, S. aureus, infection 
ISSN:1176-9114
1178-2013