Abstract
Burow's solution has long been used as a local otological preparation in the treatment of otitis externa and otitis media.
To ascertain the antibacterial effect of Burow's solution on antibiotic resistant bacteria, it was examined using the disk method to determine whether the solution has a bactericidal effect and/or a bacteriostatic effect on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and antibiotic resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from the patients. In addition, we examined the effectiveness of diluted Burow's solution on these isolates.
The results showed that Burow's solution had larger average zones of inhibition than the other two antibacterial agents, levofloxacin and povidone-iodine. There was a difference in the susceptibilities of the antibiotic-sensitive bacteria and antibiotic-resistant bacteria to Burow's solution. The effective bactericidal dilutions of Burow's solution were found to be a 1:2 dilution and a 1:4 dilution for MRSA and antibiotic-sresistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, respectively.
This study suggests that Burow's solution is an effective antibacterial agent, not only for antibiotic resistant bacteria but also for antibiotic-sensitive bacteria. Therefore, Burow's solution is considered to be useful for the treatment of otitis. The antibacterial effective dilution of Burow's solution depends on the bacterial species. Further study is required to demonstrate whether diluted Burow's solution is effective in a clinical setting.
