Dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide (DODAB), a liposome-forming synthetic amphiphile, kills Escherichia coli, Salmonella thyphimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus in the micromolar range of DODAB concentrations. For the four species at cell concentrations higher than 10(7) bacteria/mL in the interaction mixtures, 5 mu M DODAB, and 5 h of interaction time between bacteria and vesicles, 0% survival (no counts for viable cells) was obtained. The mechanism of cell death does not involve cell lysis or vesicle rupture as evaluated from measurements of cell leakage of phosphorylated compounds and from a vesicle disruption assay. The isolated external membrane of E. coli and DODAB cationic small vesicles do interact to yield an increase in the electrophoretic mobility of ghosts as a function of DODAB concentration. Surface charge for the ghosts becomes zero over the micromolar range of DODAB concentrations. Thus vesicle adhesion to the external membrane of the bacteria is certainly the first interaction step. Results on dose and time effects on cell viability generalize the bactericidal effect of cationic DODAB vesicles to four bacteria species of clinical importance.