Inactivation of a range of viruses, such as adeno-, mumps, rota-, polio- (types 1 and 3), coxsackie-, rhino-, herpes simplex, rubella, measles, influenza and human immunodeficiency viruses, by povidone-iodine (PVP-I) and other commercially available antiseptics in Japan was studied in accordance with the standardized protocol in vitro. In these experiments, antiseptics such as PVP-I solution, PVP-I gargle, PVP-I cream, chlorhexidine gluconate, alkyldiamino-ethyl-glycine hydrochloride, benzalkonium chloride (BAC) and benzethonium chloride (BEC) were used. PVP-I was effective against all the virus species tested. PVP-I drug products, which were examined in these experiments, inactivated all the viruses within a short period of time. Rubella, measles, mumps viruses and HIV were sensitive to all of the antiseptics, and rotavirus was inactivated by BAC and BEC, while adeno-, polio- and rhinoviruses did not respond to the other antiseptics. PVP-I had a wider virucidal spectrum, covering both enveloped and nonenveloped viruses, than the other commercially available antiseptics.

No abstract

We previously reported that a variant of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) designated variant type A was isolated at a much higher frequency in Western Japan than in Eastern Japan. We examined the localization of two other variant types designated B and C. The proportion of the type B and type C variants among 553 fresh HSV-1 isolates from 10 areas in Japan were 5.4% and 1.3%, respectively. The isolation frequency of type B variant in Eastern Japan was 8.3%. It was as high as 20.5% in Iwate area. The frequency in Western Japan was only 3.0%. Type C variant showed no specific geographic localization. These results were discussed in terms of characteristic mode of HSV infection and the history of the Japanese nation.

At Morioka Yuai Hospital, the Infection Control Division was set up 5 years ago, and it has made efforts to actively control infections. In particular, the division succeeded in increasing the frequency of general round table discussions for patients with infections. We strongly recommend to frequently gargle with Isodine at operations. Recently, we have followed up patients with infections caused by MRSA, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia or carriers of these bacteria, and determined the drug sensitivities of clinical isolates. In addition, because of the current highly aged society, a high percentage of inpatients has various underlying diseases. In particular, there are quite a few cases in which pneumonia occurs as an opportunistic infection. From studies in these patients and patients of the dental department, it has been shown that oral microorganisms clearly decrease in count by careful tooth brushing and gargling with Isodine, with prevention of pneumonitis caused by oral microorganisms. As we consider that antisepsis with povidone-iodine is useful for the prevention of nosocomial and opportunistic infections, we would like to report the findings of our study currently under way.