The combined impact of chlorhexidine digluconate and chitosan as microbicide agents against the prevailing MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from Iraqi patients: An in vitro study

Aims: This study was aimed to evaluate chitosan's antibacterial effectiveness in combination with a common microbicide agent, chlorhexidine digluconate (CHG), towards MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated clinically through an in vitro investigation. Methodology and results:The antibacterial activities of CHG and chitosan combined were investigated using the checkerboard broth micro-dilution method, which also yielded fractional inhibitory concentrations (FICs) at doses ranging from 0.11 to 0.5 g/mL for eight isolates that were resistant to multiple drugs.The synergistic results showed that the antimicrobial combination's inhibitory activity concentrations were lowered to extremely low concentrations, with FIC ranging from 0.5 to 0.11 g /mL.The MIC of chitosan was decreased from 6.25 to 3.12 g/mL for the isolates under examination based on the synergistic impact, while the MIC of CHG was decreased from 512 to 128 g/mL. Conclusion, significance and impact of study:The latest research helps address the growing issue of antibiotic and microbicide resistance by enhancing their action using available and safe alternatives for treating MDR pathogens and nosocomial infections, as well as a combination of CHG and chitosan that is more successful against MDR P. aeruginosa strains than either treatment alone.