Antiseptic Efficacy Against Wound Pathogens: Evidence for Rational Use

Abstract

Wound infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria such as 
Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa pose a 
major global health challenge, particularly in low-resource settings where 
antiseptics remain frontline interventions. This study evaluated the in vitro 
efficacy of commonly used antiseptics, povidone-iodine, hydrogen peroxide, and 
isopropyl alcohol, against bacterial strains isolated from infected wounds, using 
agar well diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assays. 
Ciprofloxacin served as the control antibiotic. Results revealed that hydrogen 
peroxide demonstrated the highest overall efficacy, producing significant 
inhibition zones across all three isolates, with the lowest MIC values (0.125
0.75%). Isopropyl alcohol showed selective activity, effectively inhibiting P. 
aeruginosa (31.0 ± 3.61 mm, MIC 8.75%) but demonstrated no activity against 
S. aureus and E. coli. Povidone-iodine, at 2% concentration, was largely 
ineffective, Ciprofloxacin showed potent inhibition against S. aureus and P. 
aeruginosa (32.0 ± 4.24 mm and 14.0 ± 5.66 mm respectively) but weaker 
activity against E. coli. Statistical analysis confirmed significant differences in 
antiseptic performance (p < 0.05). These findings highlight hydrogen peroxide 
as the most reliable agent among those tested, while povidone-iodine requires 
higher concentrations or longer exposure times for effective use. The study 
shows the need for regular evaluations of antiseptic performance to ensure 
evidence-based selection of agents for effective wound care and infection 
prevention.