Bactericidal activity of ethanol against glucose nonfermentative Gram-negative bacilli

The bactericidal effect of ethanol on glucose nonfermentative Gram-negative bacilli (nonfermentative bacilli) and other species of micro-organisms was studied with emphasis on the former. At 20 degrees C, 10 to 20% v/v ethanol took 1 h or more to kill thirteen strains of nonfermentative bacilli while 40 to 99.5% concentrations produced a bactericidal effect within 1 min of exposure. Eleven strains of glucose fermentative organisms showed a similar tendency to that noted with nonfermentative bacilli, except that S. aureus was a little resistant to 99.5% ethanol. Using several strains of nonfermentative bacilli, the effects of temperature and equine serum on the bactericidal action of ethanol were determined. The bactericidal action of ethanol increased with rising of temperature (10-30 degrees C), and it was sufficient even at 10 degrees C provided that the concentration of ethanol was over 50%. The equine serum produced little effect on the bactericidal action of ethanol.