Acetic Acid, the Active Component of Vinegar, Is an Effective Tuberculocidal Disinfectant

ABSTRACT Effective and economical mycobactericidal disinfectants are needed to kill both Mycobacterium tuberculosis and non-M. tuberculosis mycobacteria. We found that acetic acid (vinegar) efficiently kills M. tuberculosis after 30 min of exposure to a 6% acetic acid solution. The activity is not d...

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Autores principales:	Claudia Cortesia, Catherine Vilchèze, Audrey Bernut, Whendy Contreras, Keyla Gómez, Jacobus de Waard, William R. Jacobs, Laurent Kremer, Howard Takiff
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	American Society for Microbiology 2014
Materias:	Microbiology QR1-502
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/a74ba4c9129c44a99703ca864aaecf65
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:a74ba4c9129c44a99703ca864aaecf652021-11-15T15:45:13ZAcetic Acid, the Active Component of Vinegar, Is an Effective Tuberculocidal Disinfectant10.1128/mBio.00013-142150-7511https://doaj.org/article/a74ba4c9129c44a99703ca864aaecf652014-05-01T00:00:00Zhttps://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mBio.00013-14https://doaj.org/toc/2150-7511ABSTRACT Effective and economical mycobactericidal disinfectants are needed to kill both Mycobacterium tuberculosis and non-M. tuberculosis mycobacteria. We found that acetic acid (vinegar) efficiently kills M. tuberculosis after 30 min of exposure to a 6% acetic acid solution. The activity is not due to pH alone, and propionic acid also appears to be bactericidal. M. bolletii and M. massiliense nontuberculous mycobacteria were more resistant, although a 30-min exposure to 10% acetic acid resulted in at least a 6-log10 reduction of viable bacteria. Acetic acid (vinegar) is an effective mycobactericidal disinfectant that should also be active against most other bacteria. These findings are consistent with and extend the results of studies performed in the early and mid-20th century on the disinfectant capacity of organic acids. IMPORTANCE Mycobacteria are best known for causing tuberculosis and leprosy, but infections with nontuberculous mycobacteria are an increasing problem after surgical or cosmetic procedures or in the lungs of cystic fibrosis and immunosuppressed patients. Killing mycobacteria is important because Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains can be multidrug resistant and therefore potentially fatal biohazards, and environmental mycobacteria must be thoroughly eliminated from surgical implements and respiratory equipment. Currently used mycobactericidal disinfectants can be toxic, unstable, and expensive. We fortuitously found that acetic acid kills mycobacteria and then showed that it is an effective mycobactericidal agent, even against the very resistant, clinically important Mycobacterium abscessus complex. Vinegar has been used for thousands of years as a common disinfectant, and if it can kill mycobacteria, the most disinfectant-resistant bacteria, it may prove to be a broadly effective, economical biocide with potential usefulness in health care settings and laboratories, especially in resource-poor countries.Claudia CortesiaCatherine VilchèzeAudrey BernutWhendy ContrerasKeyla GómezJacobus de WaardWilliam R. JacobsLaurent KremerHoward TakiffAmerican Society for MicrobiologyarticleMicrobiologyQR1-502ENmBio, Vol 5, Iss 2 (2014)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Microbiology QR1-502
spellingShingle	Microbiology QR1-502 Claudia Cortesia Catherine Vilchèze Audrey Bernut Whendy Contreras Keyla Gómez Jacobus de Waard William R. Jacobs Laurent Kremer Howard Takiff Acetic Acid, the Active Component of Vinegar, Is an Effective Tuberculocidal Disinfectant
description	ABSTRACT Effective and economical mycobactericidal disinfectants are needed to kill both Mycobacterium tuberculosis and non-M. tuberculosis mycobacteria. We found that acetic acid (vinegar) efficiently kills M. tuberculosis after 30 min of exposure to a 6% acetic acid solution. The activity is not due to pH alone, and propionic acid also appears to be bactericidal. M. bolletii and M. massiliense nontuberculous mycobacteria were more resistant, although a 30-min exposure to 10% acetic acid resulted in at least a 6-log10 reduction of viable bacteria. Acetic acid (vinegar) is an effective mycobactericidal disinfectant that should also be active against most other bacteria. These findings are consistent with and extend the results of studies performed in the early and mid-20th century on the disinfectant capacity of organic acids. IMPORTANCE Mycobacteria are best known for causing tuberculosis and leprosy, but infections with nontuberculous mycobacteria are an increasing problem after surgical or cosmetic procedures or in the lungs of cystic fibrosis and immunosuppressed patients. Killing mycobacteria is important because Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains can be multidrug resistant and therefore potentially fatal biohazards, and environmental mycobacteria must be thoroughly eliminated from surgical implements and respiratory equipment. Currently used mycobactericidal disinfectants can be toxic, unstable, and expensive. We fortuitously found that acetic acid kills mycobacteria and then showed that it is an effective mycobactericidal agent, even against the very resistant, clinically important Mycobacterium abscessus complex. Vinegar has been used for thousands of years as a common disinfectant, and if it can kill mycobacteria, the most disinfectant-resistant bacteria, it may prove to be a broadly effective, economical biocide with potential usefulness in health care settings and laboratories, especially in resource-poor countries.
format	article
author	Claudia Cortesia Catherine Vilchèze Audrey Bernut Whendy Contreras Keyla Gómez Jacobus de Waard William R. Jacobs Laurent Kremer Howard Takiff
author_facet	Claudia Cortesia Catherine Vilchèze Audrey Bernut Whendy Contreras Keyla Gómez Jacobus de Waard William R. Jacobs Laurent Kremer Howard Takiff
author_sort	Claudia Cortesia
title	Acetic Acid, the Active Component of Vinegar, Is an Effective Tuberculocidal Disinfectant
title_short	Acetic Acid, the Active Component of Vinegar, Is an Effective Tuberculocidal Disinfectant
title_full	Acetic Acid, the Active Component of Vinegar, Is an Effective Tuberculocidal Disinfectant
title_fullStr	Acetic Acid, the Active Component of Vinegar, Is an Effective Tuberculocidal Disinfectant
title_full_unstemmed	Acetic Acid, the Active Component of Vinegar, Is an Effective Tuberculocidal Disinfectant
title_sort	acetic acid, the active component of vinegar, is an effective tuberculocidal disinfectant
publisher	American Society for Microbiology
publishDate	2014
url	https://doaj.org/article/a74ba4c9129c44a99703ca864aaecf65
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Acetic Acid, the Active Component of Vinegar, Is an Effective Tuberculocidal Disinfectant

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