Study Shows BIOPATCH Protective Disk with CHG Effective Against MRSA, Other Microbes

SOMERVILLE, N.J. – A recently published study shows that the BIOPATCH® Protective Disk with CHG is effective against several significant microbes, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The study appears in the December 2007 issue of the Journal of the Association for Vascular Access, a publication of the Association for Vascular Access.

The purpose of the in vitro study was to compare antimicrobial properties of a chlorhexidine-impregnated foam dressing (BIOPATCH® Protective Disk) with four silver dressings, and to assess the dressings’ effectiveness against organisms primarily associated with catheter-related infections. The dressings were tested against seven different bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant species. The tests were run for up to seven days, so the researchers could determine the number of days each dressing was effective against a particular microbe.

The seven challenge organisms used for the study were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE), Candida albicans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Klebsiella pneumoniae.

BIOPATCH® Protective Disk with CHG (chlorhexidine gluconate) prevented growth of five of the seven microbes, including MRSA, for the entire seven-day period. Its efficacy was consistently higher than any of the silver dressings against MRSA, MRSE, VRE, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Candida albicans over the seven-day test period. In addition, it was the only dressing that was microbiocidal against Candida albicans. The protective disk also prevented growth of a sixth microbe, Klebsiella pneumoniae, for six days.

Among the silver products, three of the products had larger zones of inhibition than BIOPATCH® when challenged with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Additionally, two products prevented growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa for the full seven-day test period, compared to one day with BIOPATCH®. The favorable results against Pseudomonas aeruginosa of silver vs. CHG were expected, the authors noted. The microbe has previously been shown to be susceptible to silver, while CHG has been shown to be less effective against this organism.

The study was conducted by Shubhangi Bhende, MS, and Stephen Rothenburger, PhD. It was funded by Johnson & Johnson Wound Management, a division of ETHICON, INC., maker of BIOPATCH®.