Chlorhexidine gluconate does not result in epidermal microbiota dysbiosis in healthy adults

Chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) and other skin antiseptics are ubiquitous in healthcare settings and are routinely used to bathe patients' skin. The commensal epidermal microbiota is believed to provide colonization resistance and other benefits to the host; yet little is known regarding the long-term stability of the epidermal microbiota, and the impact of CHG bathing. We aimed to assess the influence of CHG exposure to the epidermal microbiota and evaluate the long-term stability of the epidermal microbiota.

The epidermal microbiota of 5 individuals was sampled using thorough swabbing of the calf, and characterized via 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, prior to CHG bathing, and then at 30 minutes, 3 hours, 1 day, 3 days, and 7 days postbathing. Roughly 4 months later, samples were collected from the same 5 individuals, using an identical timeline but with no CHG exposure.

The epidermal microbiota showed no greater change 30 minutes postexposure to CHG, than was observed in the same individuals during the recovery period, likely representing the normal sample-to-sample variability. Despite that variability, the epidermal microbiota evinced a remarkable degree of intrasubject stability, even over extended periods of time.

We conclude that single applications of CHG cause minimal, if any, disruption of the epidermal microbiota, and that long-term effects of single applications of CHG on the epidermal microbiota are unlikely.