In light of emerging antibiotic resistance, synthesis of active, environmental friendly antimicrobial alternatives becomes increasingly necessary. In this study, ZnO quantum dots (ZnO QDs) were developed by the sol–gel method and characterized. The antibacterial activities of ZnO QDs against Escherichia coli (E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Salmonella Pullorum (S. Pullorum) were systematically investigated. Moreover, the protective effects of ZnO QDs on Salmonella-caused pullorosis in chicks were also explored. The results indicated that the size range of ZnO QDs was 3–6 nm. Antibacterial results showed that ZnO QDs treatment inhibited the growth of E. coli, S. aureus, and S. Pullorum in the rate of 87.060.98%, 94.752.28%, and 85.551.15%, respectively. Its excellent antibacterial property was manifested with the minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.7812, 0.0976, and 0.1953 mg ml⁻¹, which may be attributed to the production of reactive oxygen species, the dissolution of Zn²⁺ ions, and the loss of cell integrity. Furthermore, in the in vivo test, the ZnO QDs effectively reduced the mortality of chicks infected with S. Pullorum via regulating the balance of the intestinal flora, protecting liver and intestine, and modulating the balance of antioxidation systems. This study reveals that ZnO QDs exerts remarkably antibacterial activity in vitro and anti-pullorosis effect in chicks.

鉴于新出现的抗生素耐药性，活性、环境友好的抗菌替代品的合成变得越来越有必要。在本研究中，通过溶胶-凝胶法开发了 ZnO 量子点 (ZnO QDs) 并对其进行了表征。系统研究了ZnO量子点对大肠杆菌（E. coli）、金黄色葡萄球菌（S. aureus）和白痢沙门氏菌（S. Pullorum）的抗菌活性。此外，还探讨了 ZnO QDs 对沙门氏菌引起的雏鸡白痢的保护作用。结果表明，ZnO 量子点的尺寸范围为 3-6 nm。抗菌结果表明，ZnO QDs 处理抑制了细菌的生长。大肠杆菌、金黄色葡萄球菌和白痢菌的检出率分别为 87.060.98%、94.752.28% 和 85.551.15%。其优异的抗菌性能表现为最低抑菌浓度为0.7812、0.0976和0.1953 mg ml ^-1，这可能是由于活性氧的产生、Zn ²⁺离子的溶解和细胞完整性的丧失。此外，在体内试验中，ZnO QDs 有效降低了感染白白痢的雏鸡的死亡率通过调节肠道菌群平衡，保护肝脏和肠道，调节抗氧化系统的平衡。本研究表明，ZnO QDs在体外具有显着的抗菌活性和对雏鸡的抗白粉病作用。