What is the difference between an antiseptic and chemotherapeutic agent

It is a cationic surfactant, similar to Quats. However, even this less potent form is no longer recommended for typical wound care because the strong oxidization causes scar formation and increases healing time.

Gentle washing with mild soap and water or rinsing a scrape with sterile saline is a better practice. The great advantage of iodine antiseptics is their wide scope of antimicrobial activity, killing all principal pathogens and, given enough time, even spores, which are considered to be the most difficult form of microorganisms to be inactivated by disinfectants and antiseptics.

Mercurochrome: Not recognized as safe and effective by the U. Other obsolete organomercury antiseptics include bis- phenylmercuric monohydrogenborate Famosept.

Manuka Honey: Recognized by the U. Octenidine dihydrochloride: A cationic surfactant and bis- dihydropyridinyl -decane derivative, used in concentrations of 0. It is similar in its action to the Quats, but is of somewhat broader spectrum of activity. In aqueous formulations, it is often potentiated with addition of 2-phenoxyethanol. Phenol is germicidal in strong solution, inhibitory in weaker ones.

Used in the form of a powder as an antiseptic baby powder, where it is dusted onto the navel as it heals. Also used in mouthwashes and throat lozenges, where it has a painkilling effect as well as an antiseptic one.

Example: TCP. Other phenolic antiseptics include historically important, but today rarely used sometimes in dental surgery thymol, today obsolete hexachlorophene, still used triclosan and sodium 3,5-dibromohydroxybenzenesulfonate Dibromol.

Antimicrobial compound suitable for clinical use in critically colonized or infected acute and chronic wounds. The physicochemical action on the bacterial envelope prevents or impedes the development of resistant bacterial strains. There are multiple types of disinfectants, including but not limited to air disinfectants, alcohols, and oxidizing agents.

Types of disinfectants include: Air disinfectants, Alcohols, Aldehydes, Oxidizing agents, Phenolics, Quaternary ammonium compounds, Silver, and Copper alloy surfaces.

Air disinfectants are typically chemical substances capable of disinfecting microorganisms suspended in the air. Disinfectants are often assumed to be limited to use on surfaces, but that is not the case. In , a study found that airborne microorganisms could be killed using mists of dilute bleach. An air disinfectant must be dispersed either as an aerosol or vapor at a sufficient concentration in the air to cause the number of viable infectious microorganisms to be significantly reduced.

In the s and early s, further studies showed inactivation of diverse bacteria, influenza virus, and Penicillium chrysogenum previously P. In principle, these chemical substances are ideal air disinfectants because they have both high lethality to microorganisms and low mammalian toxicity. Although glycols are effective air disinfectants in controlled laboratory environments, it is more difficult to use them effectively in real-world environments because the disinfection of air is sensitive to continuous action.

Continuous action in real-world environments with outside air exchanges at door, HVAC, and window interfaces, and in the presence of materials that adsorb and remove glycols from the air, poses engineering challenges that are not critical for surface disinfection. The engineering challenges associated with creating a sufficient concentration of the glycol vapors in the air have not to date been sufficiently addressed.

Alcohols, usually ethanol or isopropanol, are sometimes used as a disinfectant, but more often as an antiseptic, the distinction being that alcohol tends to be used on living tissue rather than nonliving surfaces. These alcohols are non-corrosive but can be a fire hazard. They also have limited residual activity due to evaporation, which results in brief contact times unless the surface is submerged.

They also have a limited activity in the presence of organic material. Alcohol is only partly effective against most non-enveloped viruses such as hepatitis A , and is not at all effective against fungal and bacterial spores. The efficacy of alcohol is enhanced when in solution with the wetting agent dodecanoic acid coconut soap. The synergistic effect of Further testing is being performed against Clostridium difficile C.

Diff spores using higher concentrations of ethanol and dodecanoic acid, which has been indicated to be effective with a contact time of ten minutes. Aldehydes, such as formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde, have a wide microbiocidal activity and are sporocidal and fungicidal. They are partly inactivated by organic matter and have slight residual activity.

Some bacteria have developed resistance to glutaraldehyde; it has also been found that glutaraldehyde can cause asthma and other health hazards, hence ortho-phthalaldehyde is replacing glutaraldehyde. Oxidizing agents act by oxidizing the cell membrane of microorganisms, which results in a loss of structure and leads to cell lysis and death.

A large number of disinfectants operate in this way. Pseudomonas Inhibit translation protein synthesis Glycopeptides Vancomycin Streptomyces orientales Gram-positive bacteria, esp. Staphylococcus aureus Inhibits steps in murein peptidoglycan biosynthesis and assembly Lincomycins Clindamycin Streptomyces lincolnensis Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria esp. All rights reserved. Classes of antibiotics and their properties Chemical class.

Penicillium notatum and Cephalosporium species. Inhibits steps in cell wall peptidoglycan synthesis and murein assembly. Streptomyces clavuligerus. Micromonospora species.

Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria esp. Inhibits steps in murein peptidoglycan biosynthesis and assembly. Streptomyces lincolnensis. Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria not enterics, Neisseria, Legionella, Mycoplasma.

But an open wound is like an open invitation to bacteria, fungi, and other microbes. Applying antibiotic ointment after cleaning a wound and before applying a bandage may help stave off infection. Antibiotics are great for small cuts and scrapes, but they will generally not help with pain, itching, existing infections or burns. When you use an antibiotic you should not go overboard. These ointments are like any other antibiotic treatment; used too liberally, they may actually encourage bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics.

Antiseptics are best for helping clean the skin. Antiseptics are good for cleaning small cuts, preparing for an injection, and swabbing the skin before removing a splinter. However, they will not help with pain, itching, existing infections, or burns. Please note that antiseptics can dry out the skin and even kill skin cells, so use these sparingly. View Saved Items 0. Infection Control Products.

Personal Care Products. Find a Distributor. Private Label.