Highly diluted acetic acid has been shown to be an effective alternative agent to prevent infection and kill bacteria found in burn wounds. Researchers investigated the antibacterial activity of acetic acid against key burn wound colonising organisms growing both planktonically and as biofilms.
The study, published in PLOS ONE, demonstrated that low concentrations of acetic acid can be used to treat biofilms, and therefore could be used as alternatives to topical (surface applied) antimicrobials and traditional antimicrobial dressings for preventing bacterial colonisation of burns. The current use of acetic acid in clinical settings has been limited due to concerns of patient tolerability. The finding that it is effective at far lower concentrations than previously thought offers hope for the development of novel treatments.
