Established on the above strategies, AIE probes have been widely applied for bacterial imaging. The selective imaging capability of AIEgens endow them more interesting applications. Zhao et al. designed a TPE derivative modified with boric acid (TPE-2BA) for monitoring bacterial viability, which potentially could be used for the evaluation of bacterial drug sensitivity . Interestingly, TPE-2BA can show strong fluorescence via passing through the compromised membrane of dead bacteria and binding with DNA inside. Differentiation of bacteria is one of the most important issues for rapid diagnosis and precise treatment in clinic . It is reported that the cell envelope structures of Gram-negative (G-) bacteria, Gram-positive (G+) bacteria and fungi are different (Fig. ) . Zhou et al. successfully developed a microenvironment-sensitive AIE probe (IQ-Cm) for fast discrimination of G-bacteria, G+ bacteria and fungi by naked eyes (Fig. ) . IQ-Cm has a twisted donor-acceptor structure and shows twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) characteristics with a sensitive fluorescence color response to the microenvironment of pathogens.