Bacterial effect of hydrogen peroxide on urinary tract pathogens

Abstract

Bacterial contamination of urinary drainage bags is a frequent source of bladder bacteriuria in patients with indwelling catheters. Previous work demonstrated that the addition of 30 ml of 3% H2O2 prevented bacterial contamination of urinary drainage bags for up to 8 h in patients with urinary infections (greater than 10(5) colony-forming units per ml). Survival curves of a variety of organisms in filter-sterilized urine with various concentrations of H2O2 (0.6 to 0.01%) were constructed. Organisms with high cellular catalase activity (Staphylococcus aureus, Serratia marcescens, and Proteus mirabilis) required 30 to 60 min of exposure to 0.6% H2O2 for a reduction of 10(8) to less than 1 colony-forming unit per ml, whereas Escherichia coli, Streptococcus sp., and Pseudomonas sp. required only 15 min of exposure. The efficacy of H2O2 in urine was maintained despite exposure to room temperature for 5 days and reinoculation with bacterial suspensions. H2O2 is inexpensive and relatively nontoxic, and these data suggest that periodic instillation of H2O2 into urinary drainage bags may eliminate a source of bladder bacteriuria and environmental contamination.

Bactericidal Efficacy of Hydrogen Peroxide‐Based Disinfectants Against Gram‐Positive and Gram‐Negative Bacteria on Stainless Steel Surfaces

“…In this sense, it was observed that organisms with a high cellular catalase activity as S. aureus requires 30 to 60 min of exposure to 0.6% hydrogen peroxide for a 10 8 reduction in count cells, whereas organisms with lower catalase activity (for example, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas spp.) require only a 15‐min exposure time (Schaeffer and others ). Hydrogen peroxide is increasingly used as a disinfectant, showing a broad spectrum of activity against Gram‐positive bacteria (Neely and Maley ; Linley and others ).…”

Efficacy of a Low Dose of Hydrogen Peroxide (Peroxy Ag+) for Continuous Treatment of Dental Unit Water Lines: Challenge Test with Legionella pneumophila Serogroup 1 in a Simulated Dental Unit Waterline

“…Organisms with high cellular catalase activity (e.g., Staphylococcus aureus , Serratia marcescens , and Proteus mirabilis ) required 30–60 min of exposure to 0.6% hydrogen peroxide for a 10 8 reduction in cell counts, whereas organisms with lower catalase activity (e.g., Escherichia coli , S treptococcus spp., and Pseudomonas spp.) required only a 15 min exposure [ 33 ].…”

“…The literature contains several accounts of the properties, germicidal effectiveness, and potential uses for stabilized hydrogen peroxide in health-care settings. Published reports ascribe good germicidal activity to hydrogen peroxide and attest to its bactericidal, virucidal, sporicidal, and fungicidal properties [ 33 , 34 ]. Hydrogen peroxide in different formulations (alkaline peroxide as well as silver added to H 2 O 2 ) has been studied with respect to biofilm control and long-term treatment [ 35 , 36 ] because the product is safe for patient contact.…”

The Vaginal Microbiota and Urinary Tract Infection

“…Lactic acid concentrations are high in a lactobacillusdominated VMB, and these conditions produce a potently antimicrobial environment in vitro (35). Hydrogen peroxide alone is microbicidal for many bacterial species, and this microbicidal activity is 10-to 100-fold greater when it is combined with chloride anion and myeloperoxidase, both of which are found in the vagina (36,37). This vaginal antimicrobial defense system (H 2 O 2 , chloride anion, and myeloperoxidase) has potent in vitro activity against E. coli as well as other microorganisms (38).…”