Multifunctional bacterial imaging and therapy systems

Bacterial infections have severely affected human health, leading to a considerable number of human deaths. Inevitably direct and indirect contacts with medical devices, food packing and daily supplies with harmful bacteria are among the major transmission routes of bacterial infections. Effective bacterial theranostic systems that combine diagnostic functions and therapeutic effects have received extensive attention due to their excellent features including high efficiency, real-time performance and low drug resistance. In this review article, we summarize the recent advances of antibacterial materials including natural antibacterial compounds, quaternary ammonium polymers, and inorganic or hybrid nanoparticles with the dual functions of detection and imaging. In particular, multiple imaging modalities and antibacterial modalities are systematically discussed in order to provide a better understanding of modern theranostics.