Disinfectants vs.

Antiseptics
 Disinfectant
 The term 'disinfectant' is applied to chemical agents which
kill or prevent multiplication of micro-organisms,
particularly those which cause disease, i.e. bacteria,
protozoa, fungi, or viruses.
 Disinfectants are usually applied to inanimate surfaces,
since they are often too toxic at their use-concentrations to
be applied to the body. Disinfectants which can be applied
to the body are usually called antiseptics.
The ideal properties of a disinfectant that it should:
 be rapidly effective;
 have a broad spectrum of activity, including bacteria,
viruses and fungi;
 not allow the emergence of resistant populations;
 not be inactivated by protein;
 be minimally toxic;
 be non-staining and non-corrosive;
 not harm the skin by direct action or sensitization;
 odourless and deodorizing;
 possess residual action after rinsing;
 have detergent properties; and
 simple and economical to use.
 Disinfectants may be classified as follows:
1. Oxidizing agents: peroxides, potassium permanganate, hypochlorite,
iodine and iodophors.
2. Reducing agents: formaldehyde, sulphur dioxide, and gluteraldehyde.
3. Acids and alkalis.
4. Alcohol.
5. Phenols and cresols.
6. Dyes.
7. Detergents and surface-active agents.
8. Miscellaneous organic compounds.
 OXIDIZING AGENTS :
 The oxidizing agents can be divided into those which
release gaseous oxygen, the peroxides, and those which
cause oxidation without the release of oxygen gas-the
halogen, and potassium permanganate. Oxidizing agents are
rapid in action.
 1. SOLUTION OF HYDROGEN PEROXIDE: An aqueous
solution of hydrogen peroxide is colourless and odourless, but
has characteristic taste; it bubbles in contact with the oral
mucous membrane.
 ACTIONS AND USES: Hydrogen peroxide has a two-fold
action. The first is as antiseptic and deodorant by virtue of the
strong oxidizing effect of the nascent oxygen produced in
contact with organic tissue. The oxygen is produced, at least in
part, by the action of the enzyme catalyse. The second action is
a mechanical cleansing action resulting from the rapid release
of oxygen.
 2. POTASSIUM PERMANGANATE:
 Potassium permanganate consists of dark, odourless,
purple crystals , which are soluble in water giving pink to
deep purple solutions depending on concentration.
Solutions of potassium permanganate have strong oxidizing
properties without releasing gaseous oxygen and are
antiseptic, they are also astringent. Solutions of 1:1000 are
used as wound and mouth lotions for antiseptic .

 3. THE HALOGENS
 The antiseptic halogens are chlorine and iodine, both of
which are still important. They are inexpensive, rapidly
bactericidal and broad spectrum.
 a. CHLORINE: This halogen is strong oxidizing agent,
besides being extremely toxic. It poses antiseptic and
deodorizing properties, even in the very dilute
concentrations required to avoid toxicity.
 They are used to treat swimming pools and drinking
water.
 Sodium hypochlorite: Sodium hypochlorite is
recommended for use as teat dip for mastitis control .
 b. IODINE: Solutions of iodine have been used for many
years as antiseptic wound dressings. Iodine itself is an
oxidizing agent, though less active than chlorine. It is
antiseptic in dilute solutions but is an irritant and has a
tendency to retard healing.
 For antiseptic and mild irritant action, use the weak solution
of iodine-the common tincture of iodine which contains
2.5% iodine in an alcoholic solution of an equal amount of
potassium iodide- or the Aqueous solution of iodine
(Lugol's) iodine. The latter is used mainly for intrauterine
and vaginal wash.
.
 Povidone iodine is widely used as a skin scrub both for
hands of the surgeon, and the skin of the patient.
 REDUCING AGENTS
 Two agents, sulphur dioxide and formaldehyde, they are both
primarily fumigant antiseptics, they both have other
applications.
 1. FORMALDEHYDE: Formalin is a colourless liquid with an
irritant vapour and a pungent odour which is widely used as a
preservative for dissection specimens. Formaldehyde solution
contains approximately 40% formaldehyde gas.
 ACTIONS AND USES: Externally, formalin is strongly astringent
and antiseptic with a wide spectrum of antimicrobial.
 The main external action is as fumigant disinfectant spray.
 Rooms to be fumigated should be closed for at least 10 h
and the best procedure in small animal surgeries and
waiting rooms is to fumigate each day after evening surgery
so that the rooms may be closed overnight.
 2. SULPHUR DIOXIDE
 Sulphur dioxide is liberated as a gas when sulphur is
ignited. It has been and still is occasionally used as a
fumigant disinfectant for animal houses to destroy bacteria
and viruses, and parasites .
 It is common to spray the walls, ceilings and floors with
water before lighting the sulphur. The dioxide dissolves in
the water to form sulphurous acid and it is the reducing
action of this acid which is bactericidal.
 ACIDS AND ALKALIS
 The strong mineral acids can be used as disinfectants, but
their corrosive actions limit their usefulness to disinfection
of inanimate surfaces. Sulphuric acid and mixtures of acids
with anionic detergents are used as effective sterilizers of
milking equipment.
 Several alkalis are in common use as disinfectants, e.g.
sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate and quicklime. Most
bacteria are inactivated above pH 9, but a particular
property of the alkalis is their antiviral activity. A 4%
solution of sodium carbonate (washing soda) is employed
in the cleansing and disinfection procedures required after
an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.
 ALCOHOL
 Ethyl alcohol (70% w/v) is well-known for (custom,
routine) use on a pre-injection skin swab, its solvent
properties are of value in that much surface contamination
is removed.
 PHENOLS AND CRESOLS
 The pure phenols and cresols simple formulations as
antiseptics but they are retained for disinfection. They are
occasionally used internally as antizymotics.
 PHENOL: phenol is now of limited usefulness since other,
less toxic, disinfectants are now available. However, phenol
is still retained as the standard by which other disinfectants
are judged, and it is also still included at a low
concentration (0.5%) as a bacteriostatic and preservative in
some multidose injections.
 CRESOLS: It is a straw-coloured liquid which darkens with
age and exposure, less soluble in water than phenol but
soluble in the organic solvents. The actions of cresol are
similar to those of phenol, but toxicity is lower. Cresol is
very effective against acid-fast bacteria but less effective
against viruses, and it has no effect on spores. It is, however,
very useful in that organic matter has relatively little effect
on its bactericidal powers.
 In practice, solution of cresol with Soap, better known as
'lysol', is preferred because of its greater solubility in water.
Many of the disinfectants used on farms and on veterinary
premises are cresol compounds.
 They should not be used in dairies, for the persistent
phenolic odour quickly taints milk and milk products.
 Please note that:
 Phenols and cresols are especially toxic to cats and dogs:
washing of cat cages with phenols or cresols and even using
carbolic soap for bathing dogs have resulted in death as a
result of respiratory or cardiac failure.
 DETERGENTS
 This group of compounds is part of a large group
collectively referred to as surface-active agents, which all
have the property, to some degree, of reducing surface and
interfacial tensions, i.e. they are emulsifying agents. Other
properties of surface-active agents are those of 'wetting',
spreading, penetrating, foaming and in some cases
antifoaming, and cleansing.
 The antibacterial activity of detergents is greatly reduced by
the presence of organic matter such as blood, serum and
pus, and ionic detergents have little or no effect on viruses,
spores, or fungi. Examples of anionic detergents used in the
veterinary field are the soaps .
 Soaps have been used as detergents for many years.
 Their cleansing properties are widely known and are due
mainly to the emulsification of grease and loosening of
keratin, dirt and similar debris. Their antibacterial
properties are low and any benefit arising from pre-
operative skin cleansing arises from removal of dirt and
debris to which bacteria are adherent. Soaps are therefore
combined with stronger antibacterial agents such as
phenolics or chlorhexidine.
 MISCELLANEOUS ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
 CHLORHEXIDINE HYDROCHLORIDE:
Chlohexidine is highly active antiseptic against many Gram-
positive and Gram-negative organisms. It produces its effect
by disruption of the bacterial cell wall.
 Chlorhexidine is used as a constituent in teat dips at
concentration of 1%. Chlorhexidine is relatively
ineffective against viruses and fungi.
 Thank you