Graphene derivatives potentiate the activity of antibiotics against Enterococcus faecium, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli

A. Butler, Jonathan, Osborne, Lauren, El Mohtadi, Mohamed and A. Whitehead, Kathryn (2020) Graphene derivatives potentiate the activity of antibiotics against Enterococcus faecium, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli. AIMS Bioengineering, 7 (2). pp. 106-113. ISSN 2375-1495

Preview

Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (277kB) | Preview

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance in bacteria is developing at a faster rate than new antibiotics can be discovered. This study investigated the antimicrobial activity of several carbon-based derivative compounds alone and in combination with clinically relevant antibiotics against key ESKAPE pathogens Enterococcus faecium, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli. Three compounds, graphite, graphene and graphene oxide, in conjunction with ciprofloxacin (CIP), chloramphenicol (CHL) and piperacillin/tazobactam (TZP) were examined using fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) testing. CIP combined with graphene demonstrated additive antimicrobial activity against E. faecium compared to individual application. Furthermore, CIP supplemented with graphene, graphene oxide or graphite showed additive activity with ∑FIC values of 1.0 against K. pneumoniae, whereas only TZP showed ∑FIC values