The antiseptic efficacy of chlorxylenol-containing vs. chlorhexidine gluconate-containing surgical scrub preparations

The studies described here evaluate the efficacy of the chlorxylenol-containing surgical scrub formulations against the chlorhexidine gluconate-containing formulations using the Glove Juice Test, as recommended by the FDA's panel to develop guidelines for the study of antiseptic agents. Similar reports from the literature evaluating the relative efficacies of the iodophor-containing and the hexachlorophene-containing formulations are cited. Results fail to detect any significant differences in the efficacy of these two preparations, each significantly reducing the bacterial flora on the hands as indicated by immediate post-wash colony counts, and each demonstrating the continuing ability to significantly reduce bacterial growth with continued regular use.