Specific discrimination of gram-positive bacteria and direct visualization of its infection towards mammalian cells by a DPAN-based AIEgen

The infections caused by gram-positive bacteria (G(+)) is a major threat to public health due to their high morbidity and mortality, and the identification of G(+) with high sensitivity and selectivity is urgently desirable. In this paper, a probe with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristic is developed and used to discriminate G(+) from other bacteria and fungus with excellent selectivity. Thanks for its ATE feature, this probe shows intense fluorescence when interacted with G(+), and the signal can last for 24 h after incubating with S. aureus, which is benefit for long term tracing of translocation process with high contrast. Moreover, this probe can be used to visualize the infection processes of G(+) towards mammalian cells, which provides valuable information for understanding the therapeutic mechanism.