Pilot Study to Evaluate the Adjunct Use of a Povidone-Iodine Topical Antiseptic in Patients with Soft Tissue Abscesses

Lugol's solution and Gentian violet eradicate methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus biofilm in skin wound infections

The study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial efficacy of Lugol's solution 5% and Gentian violet 1% against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) biofilm in vivo. The bactericidal efficacy for treatment of MRSA-biofilm skin wound infection was tested in a murine model. Luciferase-tagged S. aureus Xen31, a MRSA-strain derived from S. aureus ATCC-3359130, was used for infection. Wounds were made in the skin of mice and infected with MRSA. The mice were treated with Lugol's solution and Gentian violet. Application of the antimicrobial agents started 24 hours post infection and was repeated daily for five-days. The antimicrobial effect on the biofilm bacteria was evaluated by measuring bioluminescence from MRSA daily for seven-days. Lugol's solution and Gentian violet showed a significant reduction in luminescent signals from the first assessment day to all subsequent days (P < .001). Lugol's solution and Gentian violet effectively eradicated MRSA in biofilm in vivo and could be alternatives or in addition to topical antibiotics when MRSA-biofilm wound infection is suspected.

Can preprocedural mouthrinses reduce SARS-CoV-2 load in dental aerosols?

Dental professionals work closely with patients and present an increased risk of person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, the use of ultrasonic scalers, air-water syringes, and slow and high-speed handpieces, which are common in the dental office, generate spatter and aerosol. The use of preprocedural mouthrinses has been proposed to reduce the viral load in saliva and oropharyngeal tissues, thus decreasing viral load in dental aerosol. Although some mouthrinses demonstrates an antiviral effect, there is limited evidence about the clinical efficacy of any mouthrinse in the reduction of SARS-CoV-2 in the dental aerosol. We hypothesized that mouthrinses may reduce SARS-CoV-2 viral load in the oropharynx and its fluids reducing viral load in dental aerosol. The potential use of mouthrinses is discussed, along with proposal of in vitro and clinical studies, in order to evaluate this hypothesis. If this hypothesis holds true, dental professionals and patients may benefit from the routine use of preprocedural mouthrinses.

Treatment data using a topical povidone-iodine antiseptic in patients with superficial skin abscesses

The standard treatment of cutaneous abscesses in the emergency department is incision and drainage (I&D). The purpose of this investigation is to determine the feasibility of using a povodine-iodine topical antiseptic solution (PVP-I) as a clinical adjunct in the treatment of superficial skin abscesses after I&D, and the data is related to "Pilot Study to Evaluate the Adjunct Use of a Povidone-Iodine Topical Antiseptic in Patients with Soft Tissue Abscesses" [Olson et al., 2019]. The data aims to determine if the daily application of PVP-I in the wound cavity and as an antiseptic hand wash would confer any benefit over I&D alone. The primary outcome was clinical cure 7-10 days after I&D. The secondary outcomes were rate of new abscess development and spread of infection in household contacts (HC) within 30 days.