Antibacterial efficacy of chitosan against Staphylococcus intermedius in dogs

The antibacterial efficacy of 0.1% (w/v) chitosan solution against Staphylococcus intermedius isolated from a dog with superficial pyoderma was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. The exposure time for the 0.1% chitosan solutions at different pH to be able to eliminate the bacterial cells and the effect of pH of the solutions on antibacterial activity was tested at the same time in vitro. The antibacterial activity of chitosan was compared to other antibacterial agents including 2.5% benzoyl peroxide, 0.5% chlorhexidine acetate, 0.1% chitosan solution combined with 2.5% benzoyl peroxide and chitosan combined with 0.5% chlorhexidine using a modified detergent scrub quantitative technique in 10 adult mongrel dogs in vivo. They were able to eliminate a number of bacteria after the exposure time of 10 minutes at varying degrees according to the pH of the solutions. The antibacterial activity of chitosan was inversely affected by pH with higher activity at lower pH value. The 0.1% chitosan solution was also efficacious against Staphylococcus intermedius in vivo. The combinations of chitosan with benzoyl peroxide and with chlorhexidine were shown to exert higher activity when compared to those of chitosan alone and benzoyl peroxide or chlorhexidine alone. The 0.1% chitosan solution was considered to be efficacious against Staphylococcus intermedius isolated from a dog with superficial pyoderma in both in vivo and in vitro and have a potential for the clinical applications in the treatment of pyoderma in dogs.