Betadine and colloidal silver gel for wound infections
Both from colloidal silver gel as well as from the topical Antiseptic Betadine is known to be effective kill infectious bacteria and are therefore suitable for disinfecting wounds. Now a current study shows that the effect of the two agents complement each other in combination, so that the overall effect is stronger than the individual effect.
researchers of Association for Professionals in Infection Control in Arlington, Washington, have demonstrated that a Combination of betadine and colloidal silver gel inhibits the growth of common infectious bacteria more effectively than either agent alone. The results were recently published in the “American Journal of Infection Control” presented.
Wound infections are still a medical problem
Size wounds and heavy burns are prone to this penetration of microorganisms. In addition, there is a risk with wounds that biofilms will adhere to the wound surface and delay healing or even prevent it.
“Despite significant advances in wound management and supportive care, wound infection remains a serious problem, particularly in large burns”explains one of the study authors Dr. Jonathan Kopel.
According to him, this is the first studywhich systematically evaluated the use of betadine alone versus colloidal silver gel alone, and betadine in combination with colloidal silver gel for bacterial clearance and biofilm growth.
Silver enhances the effects of betadine
The disinfectant betadine is widely used to treat and prevent wound infections because it has a particularly broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity. Nevertheless, the remedy is ineffective once morest some bacteria.
Therefore, bandages, some of which contain silver, have been used for a long time to support treatment and to prevent wound infections. Practice has already suggested at this point that Silber uses a different mechanism to kill microorganisms than betadine.
What was examined?
The team around Dr. Kopel therefore compared the effectiveness of a 5% betadine solution alone and the effectiveness of a colloidal silver (Ag) gel alone with one Combination of a 5% betadine solution with Ag gel.
The agents were used once morest five bacterial strains that are often responsible for wound infections, including
- Staphylococcus aureus (S. Aureus),
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa),
- Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. Pneumoniae),
- Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. Epidermidis),
- Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA).
The researchers soaked cellulose paper with the three test solutions and placed them on the respective biofilms of the bacterial strains, which had previously had 24 hours to spread. Then, using standard tests and imaging, the working group checked how effective the three agents were at pushing back the bacteria.
Results of the study
The evaluation showed the following results:
- The use of 5 percent betadine alone was able to inhibit four of the five bacterial cultures by around 90 percent. However, in P. aeruginosa, betadine showed little or no efficacy at best.
- Ag-Gel alone inhibited bacterial growth by 100 percent in four of the five bacterial strains. Only once morest K. pneumoniae was the colloidal silver gel less effective.
- The combination of betadine and Ag gel resulted in complete inhibition of all five bacterial strains tested.
Colloidal silver works differently than betadine
The results support the theory that colloidal silver has a different bactericidal mechanism than betadine. “This study provides important new insights that might help improve infection prevention and treatment to reduce this burden”, sums up Linda Dickey, President of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control. (vb)
Author and source information
This text corresponds to the specifications of medical specialist literature, medical guidelines and current studies and has been checked by medical professionals.
Author:
Graduate editor (FH) Volker Blasek
Sources:
- Phat Tran Jonathan Kopel, Keaton Luth, et al.: The in vitro efficacy of betadine antiseptic solution and colloidal silver gel combination in inhibiting the growth of bacterial biofilms; in: American Journal of Infection Control (2022), ajicjournal.org
- Association for Professionals in Infection Control: New study demonstrates combination of betadine and silver colloidal gel effectively eliminates infection-causing bacteria (veröffentlicht: 11.08.2022), eurekalert.org
Important NOTE:
This article contains general advice only and should not be used for self-diagnosis or treatment. He can not substitute a visit at the doctor.
