Inhibition of the anti-staphylococcal activity of the antiseptic polihexanide by mucin

The antiseptic Lavasept(R) (1,S), containing the polymeric biguanide polihexanide (CAS 28757-48-4), possesses microbicidal activity against a broad spectrum of bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus. It is used for antiseptic wound care in concentrations corresponding to 0.2-0.4 mg polihexanide per ml. To obtain basic data on its ability to eradicate S. aureus colonizing the nasal mucosa, the influence of mucin on the anti-staphylococcal activity was investigated. A disk agar-diffusion method was applied. Two reference strains of S. aureus (methicillin-sensitive S. aureus ATCC 29213 and methicillin-resistant S. aureus ATCC 33591) and 20 fresh clinical isolates were used. In the absence of mucin, the growth of all strains was inhibited by polihexanide concentrations of 0.1 mg/ml. In the presence of 0.25 % mucin in the test medium, a concentration of 0.4 mg/ml was necessary to inhibit all strains. Mucin concentrations of 0.5 % and I %, that are even lower than the mucin concentrations in healthy nasal secretions, abolished the activity of the therapeutic concentrations of polihexanide. It is concluded that the inactivation of LS by mucin obstructs a reliable clearance of nasal S. aureus carriage.