Evaluation of Chloroxylenol, Ethanol, Chlorine, and Povidone-iodine against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

Background: Healthcare settings require effective antiseptics and disinfectants to combat Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) since it demonstrates resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics at the global level. Objective: The current study aims to assess in vitro action of the widely-used commercial antiseptics on methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Methodology: Out of 50 samples, 5 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated identified in cases of Acne vulgaris, and the efficiency of four frequently used disinfecting agents include ethyl alcohol, sodium hypochlorite (chlorine), iodine (povidone), and chloroxylenol (Dettol) was assessed using the suspension test against each isolate at different contact periods. Results: When using the spread plate method, it was discerned how many bacterial cells the antiseptics are capable of inhibiting. They also came to realize that the MRSA were highly sensitive to the ethyl alcohol with minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 70% in 30 seconds and 1 minute. MICs of 1 were found for both iodine and chloroxylenol; for iodine, its concentration was fixed at 5% and chloroxylenol at 1%. With 5% addition of chloroxylenol, no increasing antibacterial activities against the tested strains were recorded. MRSA has been proved sensitive to iodine and chloroxylenol, with MICs of 3% and 6%, respectively. Chlorine was able to kill MRSA at dilutions of 1%, 2%, and 3% within 10 minutes, which pointed to the fact that the addition of chlorine did not improve the bactericidal effectiveness of the agents. Conclusion: The results of the carried-out investigation support the importance of disinfection as one of the targets for MRSA control and elimination.