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Lab Research
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An in vitro assessment of the efficacy of an antimicrobial skin cleanser on the pathogens associated with urinary tract infection (UTI) First Author: David Brett Authors: Lison Plante MSN, FNP, CWS Urinary tract infections are a serious health problem affecting millions of people each year. Infections of the urinary tract are the second most common type of infection in the body. Urinary tract infections account for about 8.3 million doctor visits each year. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial efficacy of a perineal skin cleanser containing an antimicrobial agent (benzethonium chloride) against the pathogens known to be responsible for UTI. Benzethonium Chloride has a broad spectrum agent effective against bacteria (gram +/-), fungi and algae. In this study standard log reduction assays were used to determine the efficacy of this cleanser against Enterococcus, Klebsiella, Proteus, Pseudomonas, and Enterobacter, pathogens known to cause UTI. Enterococcus is a gram + organism. Klebsiella, Proteus, Pseudomonas E. coli and Enterobacter are gram - organisms. The data indicated that the cleanser containing benzethonium chloride was able to rapidly decrease the number of microbial colonies. As the bacteria contributing to UTI are largely gram -, it makes sense that an agent with a high level of efficacy against gram- organisms, such as benzethonium chloride may have a positive impact in the prevention of UTI. |
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