Coatable and Resistance-Proof Ionic Liquid for Pathogen Eradication

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria infect close to 3 million people, and kill 35,000, each year in the United States. Ionic liquid (IL)-based antimicrobial agents have the potential to diversify our ever-diminishing antibiotic arsenal. Here, we describe an IL with potent submicromolar antimicrobial activity in vitro against clinically relevant Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial pathogens as well as anti-infective activity in a mouse model. The IL kills pathogenic bacteria such as Acinetobacter baumannii, Salmonella enterica, and Escherichia coli by disrupting their outer membrane and does not select for bacterial resistance. We show incorporation of our IL into surface coatings to generate a type of antibiofilm material. The IL-loaded ionogel surfaces demonstrate high-antimicrobial and antifouling activity by killing bacteria in both static and dynamic tests. Our IL-based antibiofilm surfaces are low-cost and easy to manufacture, can be formed on glass, latex, plastic, and metal surfaces, such as catheters and other medical devices where high local concentrations of antimicrobials are needed, and may have applications in other clinical and industrial settings.