TABLE 1.
Indicative antimicrobial spectrum of PVP-I, chlorhexidine, and ethanola
| Antiseptic | Vegetative bacteria |
Spores | Fungi | Viruses | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gram positive | Gram negative | Actinobacteria | ||||
| PVP-I, 10% | BC+++, LS | BC+++, LS | BC++ | SC++ | FC+++, LS | VC++, LS |
| Chlorhexidine | BC+++, LS | BC+++, IS | NA | NA | FC++, IS | VC+, IS |
| Ethanol 70% | BC+, LS | BC+, LS | BC+ | NA | FC+, LS | VC+ |
a
Data are as reported by Lachapelle et al. (23), reproduced under CC-BY license. BC, bactericidal; FC, fungicidal; IS, incomplete spectrum (signifying antimicrobial activity is limited to certain, not all, microbes); LS, large spectrum (signifying a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity); NA, no activity; PVP-I, povidone iodine; SC, sporicidal; VC, virucidal. Strength: +, weak; ++, medium; and +++, high (based on a subjective analysis of eight papers on antiseptic agents by Lachapelle et al.).