The antibacterial activity of acetic acid and Burow's solution as topical otological preparations

At present there are no topical otological preparations on the World Health Organisation's essential drug list, largely due to the ototoxic potential of preparations containing aminoglycoside antibiotics. Acetic acid and Burow's solution have long been used in the treatment of the discharg...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of laryngology and otology 1998-10, Vol.112 (10), p.925-928
Main Authors: Thorp, M. A., Kruger, J., Oliver, S., Nilssen, E. L. K., Prescott, C. A. J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acetates - therapeutic use
Acetic Acid - therapeutic use
Biological and medical sciences
Ent. Stomatology
Humans
Main Articles
Medical sciences
Microbial Sensitivity Tests - methods
Otitis Externa - drug therapy
Otitis media
Otitis Media - drug therapy
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Proteus mirabilis - drug effects
Pseudomonas aeruginosa - drug effects
Staphylococcus aureus - drug effects
Streptococcus pyogenes - drug effects
suppurative
Therapy
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Summary:At present there are no topical otological preparations on the World Health Organisation's essential drug list, largely due to the ototoxic potential of preparations containing aminoglycoside antibiotics. Acetic acid and Burow's solution have long been used in the treatment of the discharging ear. The aim of this study was to ascertain the antibacterial activity of these two preparations against the most commonly occurring bacteria isolated from discharging ears in our department. Twenty fresh isolates of each of the following organisms – Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis and Streptococcus pyogenes – were plated onto blood agar and tested against one per cent, two per cent and three per cent acetic acid and Burow's solution (13 per cent aluminium acetate). The activity of each agent was ascertained by the size of the zone of inhibition of bacterial growth. Burow's solution showed significantly larger average zones of inhibition than acetic acid (p < 0.001). The two per cent and three per cent acetic acid as well as the Burow's solution were active against all the organisms tested.
ISSN:0022-2151
1748-5460
DOI:10.1017/S0022215100142100