Magnetically-induced elimination of Staphylococcus aureus by magnetotactic bacteria under a swing magnetic field.

Abstract This study aims to explore a therapeutic tool that kills pathogens by using mechanical force other than temperature. We fabricated a device that generates a swing magnetic field (sMF) with low-heat production and then evaluated the killing effect of magnetotactic bacteria MO-1 on Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ) under the sMF. S. aureus was only killed under the sMF when attached to MO-1 cells. The killing efficiency increased with increasing attachment ratio of MO-1 cells to S. aureus . Treatment with antibody-coated MO-1 cells under the sMF improved the healing of S. aureus -infected wound. The theoretical analysis demonstrated that MO-1 cells generated a mechanical force of approximately 8 kPa under the sMF, thereby exerting on S. aureus and inducing cell death. The proposed platform, which uses magnetotactic bacteria under the sMF to generate mechanical force, provides a basis for development of therapeutic tools to treat infectious diseases.