Comparative study of common over-the-counter wound care products against early and mature biofilms of antibiotic-resistant wound pathogens.

Background: The global rise of antimicrobial resistance requires innovative and affordable wound care solutions. Moreover, managing wounds infected with priority pathogens remains a challenge. Despite the widespread availability of over-the-counter (OTC) antiseptics in wound care, comparative studies on their efficacy against biofilms or multidrug-resistant pathogens are limited. Objectives: This study compares the ability of different OTC antiseptics to disrupt biofilms of multidrug-resistant clinical isolates of Methods: The antimicrobial activity of seven antiseptics (polyhexanide, octenidine, chloroxylenol, chlorhexidine, ethanol, cetrimide, phenol) against early-stage (3-hour) and mature (24-hour) biofilms was determined by measuring reductions in colony-forming units (cfu)/biofilm while varying treatment exposure time. Results: All OTC products significantly reduced early-stage biofilms of both pathogens below detectable limits within 5 minutes ( Conclusion: OTC antiseptics are effective in eliminating early-stage biofilms; however, mature biofilms require either prolonged exposure, which may increase their toxicity and delay wound healing, or the use of potent formulations. Chlorhexidine gluconate, chloroxylenol and phenol offer an optimal balance between antibiofilm potency and tissue safety, offering promise for acute and chronic wound management particularly in low-resource settings.