Abstract
Lambert 1 , 2 immersed fragments of human tissues in a dilute broth culture of Staphylococcus aureus for a few minutes and then in various dilutions of iodine for one hour. The tissue fragments were washed in physiological salt solution, then embedded in plasma and examined for growth of bacteria and tissue after several days of incubation. He found that human connective tissue cells and histiocytes were, in general, more easily killed than Staphylococcus aureus. Of the compounds tested iodine approached most closely the “ideal” disinfectant, killing bacteria in strengths that did not seriously injure human connective tissue cells or wandering cells.
Lambert and Meyer 3 placed fragments of rabbit spleen in a suspension of Staphylococcus aureus for one minute followed by immersion in graded solutions of iodine for 20 minutes. Tissue cultures were then prepared in hanging drops of homologous plasma, following 2 washings of the tissue in physiological salt solution. A second set of hanging drop cultures was made from non-infected tissues similarly exposed with appropriate controls of untreated tissues. They found that some of the classic germicides such as iodine and mercuric chloride approached nearer the “ideal”than certain of the newer preparations.
Buchsbaum and Bloom 4 prepared chick tissue cultures in which the various dilutions of iodine were embedded in chick plasma. The test organism, Staphylococcus aureus, was added to the embryonic fluid. They stated that an antiseptic killing the bacteria at concentrations that would not harm the cells would have an index of 1.0 or greater. Iodine was given an index of 0.5.
In previous papers of this series,5-8 comparisons were made of the resistance of Staphylococcus aureus and embryonic chick heart tissue to phenol, Merthiolate, Metaphen, Mercurochrome and Hexylresorcinol. A Staphylococcus aureus phenol coefficient and a toxicity index were determined for each germicide. The methods followed were the same as those described in the first communication. 5
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