Comparison of the antiseptic effectiveness of octenidine dihydrochloride with povidone-iodine for Acinetobacter baumannii contaminated wounds in Wistar rat

Introduction: Effective antiseptic use is essential in healthcare settings to prevent the spread of diseases, especially in areas with high patient traffic and exposure to various pathogens. One essential pathogenic germ is Acinetobacter baumannii. Octenidine and povidone-iodine have been demonstrated to be effective against A. baumannii in vitro. This study will compare octenidine dihydrochloride and povidone-iodine as wound-cleansing solutions for wounds contaminated with A. baumannii in vivo. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four rats were divided into three groups: normal saline, octenidine dihydrochloride and povidone-iodine. Wounds were made on the rats' backs, and A. baumannii germs were inoculated into the wounds. After 3 hours, the wound was irrigated with wound cleansing solution according to the group for 30 seconds. Each wound was taken swab culture before and after wound irrigation and tissue culture 5 hours after wound irrigation. Results: All specimens showed bacterial colony growth with a median value of 1.22 × 10⁵ CFU before irrigation. Wound irrigation with normal saline did not reduce colony counts, while there was a 3-log reduction to 5-log reduction in the octenidine and povidone-iodine groups. Statistically, there was no significant difference in the mean number of colonies between the octenidine and povidone-iodine groups after irrigation (p = 0.535). However, 3 hours after irrigation, all specimens that experienced 3-log reduction showed regrowth to more than 1 × 10⁵ CFU. In contrast, specimens subjected to 5-log reduction did not exhibit any regrowth. Conclusion: The antiseptic effectiveness of octenidine dihydrochloride is equivalent to povidone-iodine in eradicating A. baumannii colonies in wounds in vivo.