MOLECULAR INVESTIGATION AND COMPARATIVE STUDIES OF THE BACTERICIDAL ACTION BETWEEN SILICA AND ZINC OXIDE NANOPARTICLES AGAINST KLEBSIELLA PNEUMONIAE

Klebsiella pneumoniae has been linked to numerous infections that is responsible for high mortality and morbidity rates. In our study, we evaluated and contrasted the antibacterial properties of zinc oxide and silica nanoparticles against strains of Klebsiella penumoniae that were obtained from mastitic cow milk. The bacterial strains were identified by biochemical and molecular characterization based on PCR to detect certain genes including rmpA, K2 and fimH genes. According to the PCR results, the size of the genes under investigation was 535, 641 and 508 for rmpA, K2, fimH, respectively. Using Aspergillus niger for silica nanoparticle synthesis and Chlorella for ZnO nanoparticle synthesis, the nanoparticles were synthesized using a green synthesis process. The physicochemical properties of the nanoparticles were displayed through execution of several characterization techniques, such as scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), in order to provide additional information regarding the size, shape, and nanoparticles morphology. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and inhibition zone values were determined by using the agar well diffusion method to test the antibacterial activity of both types of nanoparticles. Only zinc oxide type of nanoparticles had shown efficacy against isolated Klebsiella pneumoniae strains, as MIC and inhibition zone diameter for it were 625 µg/ml and 13 mm, respectively. Therefore, the research concluded that zinc oxide is a safe alternative to antibiotics for combating Klebsiella pneumoniae strains.