Bactericidal éfficacy of molybdenum oxide nanoparticles against antimicrobial-resistant pathogens

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 mgl^-1. MoO₃ NP produced a clear inhibition zone for S. aureus and all Gram-negative isolates at concentrations ≥25mg ml^-1 and ≥50 mgml^-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.