Korean J Nosocomial Infect Control.  1998 Jun;3(1):23-31.

Clinical Experience of Gentian Violet Dressing for Local Treatment of Wound Infection with MRSA

• Kim CS
• Kwoun YD
• Seo HH
• Ha JW

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is hardly controllable organism among the pathogen of nosocomial infection, because it is resistant to most antibiotics except vancomycin and local treatment with most antiseptics are not effective to eradicate MRSA from the infected wounds. There is increasing fear that MRSA infection can be spread widely in the hospitals. The effectiveness of Gentian Violet against MRSA was reported by Saji et al in 1992 for the first time. We tried Gentian Violet dressing on MRSA infected wounds to evaluate whether at not the Gentian Violet is effective to eradicate 11RSA which existed in the open wound.
METHODS
24 patients were treated by wet dressing with 0.1%Gentian Violet soaked gauze twice daily. They included 10 cases of sacral and trochanteric pressure sore, 6 cases of postoperative wound infectious, 3 cases of posttraumatic skin defects, 2 cases of DM foot, 1 case of post infectious skin defect and 2 cases of electrical burn, The wound culture was evaluated for elimination of MRSA infection twice weekly.
RESULTS
The clinical results revealed that MRSA was not detected in all cases within 34days (average 13.5 days) after topical administration 0.1% Gentian Violet.
CONCLUSION
There is no evidence of tissue irritation with Gentian Violet dressing on open wound or wound margin. After negative conversion of MRSA with Gentian Violet dressing, gram (-) organism was isolated in a half of the cases. 0.1% Gentian Violet topical administration is a useful treatment method of wound infection with MRSA.

Keyword

Gentian violet dressing; MRSA

MeSH Terms

Administration, Topical
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Anti-Infective Agents, Local
Bandages*
Burns
Cross Infection
Femur
Foot
Gentian Violet*
Gentiana*
Humans
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus*
Pressure Ulcer
Skin
Vancomycin
Viola
Wound Infection*
Wounds and Injuries*
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Anti-Infective Agents, Local
Gentian Violet
Vancomycin