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A series of water-soluble CdTe-core quantum dots (QDs) with diameters below 5.0 nm and functionalized at their surface with polar ligands such as thioglycolic acid (TGA) or the tripeptide glutathione (GSH) were synthesized and characterized by UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, their photoluminescence measurements, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Because cell elongations and growth inhibitions were observed during labeling experiments, the cytotoxicity of CdTe-core QDs was investigated. Using growth inhibition tests combining different bacterial strains with different CdTe-core QDs, it was possible to demonstrate that the cytotoxicity of QDs towards bacteria depends on exposure concentrations, surface chemistry and coating, and that it varied with the strain considered. Growth inhibition tests carried out with heavy-metal-resistant bacteria, as well as ICP-AES …