TINCTURE OF BENZOIN - CLINICAL AND MICROBIOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF REUSABLE CONTAINERS

At our institution, tincture of benzoin solution is commonly used as a topical adhesive agent, As a cost-saving practice, multiple-dose bott les are routinely used in the operating rooms and the clinic on multip le patients, Although clinically pathogenic organisms are known to be capable of survival in both benzoin and its isopropyl alcohol solvent, no prior controlled studies have investigated the potential for tinct ure of benzoin solution to support the growth of specific pathogens un der clinically relevant conditions, In this study, multiple aerobic, a naerobic, and spore-forming bacteria were exposed to tincture of benzo in solution, as well as Candida albicans and Mycobacterium fortuitum. Bacillus cereus was the only index organism demonstrating a clear abil ity to survive a 15-minute incubation in tincture of benzoin, although 24 hours of exposure to tincture of benzoin resulted in no subsequent viable cultures of this organism after 72 hours of incubation, Thus, although certain bacilli might, under ideal circumstances, remain viab le and infectious within multiple-dose bottles of tincture of benzoin, the risk of causing iatrogenic infection appears to be rather minimal . Still, the use of multiple-dose dispensers of topical agents, partic ularly in surgical patients, should be carefully scrutinized for their clinical risk-to-economic benefit ratio.