Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Antiseptics effective against bacteria causing dog and cat eye
By Wolff, Hinrich Tönjes et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2025·Small Animal Clinic, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Commercially available antiseptics show highefficacy against pathogens most commonly associated with canine and feline infectious keratitis.
Plain-English summary
A study tested various antiseptics to see how well they could kill bacteria that cause eye infections in dogs and cats. The antiseptics included polyhexanide, povidone-iodine, N-acetylcysteine, and hypochlorous acid. All of these showed effectiveness against the bacteria at low concentrations, especially when mixed in a specific solution. However, some antiseptics lost their effectiveness when proteins were present. These findings suggest that these antiseptics could be good options for treating eye infections in pets, potentially reducing the need for antibiotics.
People also search for: dog eye infection treatment · cat keratitis antiseptic options · povidone-iodine for pets
Abstract
PURPOSE: To determine the minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) of polyhexanide (PHMB), povidone-iodine (PVP-I), N-acetylcysteine (NAC), and hypochlorous acid (HOCl) for bacterial species commonly found in canine and feline infectious keratitis. METHODS: MBCs for clinical isolates of(.)(= 11), including 3 methicillin-resistant strains,(.)(= 8), and(.)(= 11), including the corresponding control strains, were examined. All testing substances were serially diluted in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and cation-adjusted Mueller-Hinton Broth (CAMHB) and inoculated with the bacterial suspension for 10 min. Afterwards, a neutralisation with Dey-Engley neutralising broth was performed, followed by plating onto Columbia sheep-blood agar. After incubation, plates were visually examined for bacterial growth. Tests were carried out in triplicate. RESULTS: MBCs in PBS for polyhexanide ranged 0.8-1.6 mg/L forand 1.6-3.2 mg/L forand. For povidone-iodine, MBCs in PBS were observed at concentrations ranging 8-32 mg/L forandand 8-16 mg/L for. MBCs in PBS for NAC were recorded at a range of 6,400-12,800 mg/L for, whereas those forandranged 3,200-6,400 mg/L. Results for HOCl in PBS ranged 0.4-1.6 mg/L forand 0.4-0.8 mg/L forand. MBCs in CAMHB for polyhexanide were found in the range between 3.2 and >12.8 mg/L, those for povidone-iodine between 6,400 and >12,800 mg/L, and for NAC between 6,400 and >12,800 mg/L, across the tested species. When dissolved in CAMHB, no antimicrobial effect could be observed for HOCl in concentrations up to 137.5 mg/L. CONCLUSION: All tested substances had anbactericidal effect against all three bacterial species with MBCs below known tolerated ocular concentrations when dissolved in PBS. Povidone-iodine and hypochlorous acid showed a marked reduction in theirefficacy in the presence of protein. Nevertheless, our results provide a promising outlook on alternatives or adjuvants to antibiotics in ophthalmology that align with the One Health approach.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40470288/