Theranostic platforms for discrimination and selective elimination of super-resistant bacteria in agriculture

• Grant number: 21/11081-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: January 01, 2023
• End date: December 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Valtencir Zucolotto
• Grantee: Fernanda Coelho
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física de São Carlos (IFSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 23/14222-7 - Development of Bioactive Nanocomposites for Inactivation of Pseudomonas fluorescens Biofilms and their Applications in Food and Agriculture, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

The emergence of super-resistant bacteria in livestock is a global problem, which has been aggravated by the excessive use of antibiotics. The development of new therapeutic and diagnostic strategies for these pathogenic bacteria has become an area of primary interest in food safety and public health. The use of theranostic nanoparticles proved to be promising to overcome the antimicrobial resistance problem, being an alternative therapy in agriculture. Among this class of antimicrobial agents, silver nanoparticles have a broad spectrum of activity, and their combination with endolysin has been demonstrated to improve the antibacterial activity of the complex. This project aims to develop a theranostic platform composed by the association of silver nanoparticles with endolysin PlyB221, enabling the emergence of a system with a high potential for diagnosis and antibacterial treatment. Antimicrobial activity tests will be employed to confirm the lytic activity of the complex, at the therapeutic level, and the pathogenic bacteria diagnosis will be conducted using an impedimetric biosensor.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

COELHO, FERNANDA; ZAPATA, ANGELICA MARIA MAZUERA; MACHADO, THALES RAFAEL; CANDURI, FERNANDA; ZUCOLOTTO, VALTENCIR. Exploring the agricultural potential of AgNPs/PlyB221 endolysin bioconjugates as enhanced biocontrol agents. BIOCATALYSIS AND AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY, v. 56, p. 14-pg., 2024-02-03. (21/11081-8)