Benzethonium chloride products identified as best for killing MRSA

One type of over-the-counter product for topical wound care is more effective than others in killing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, or MRSA, which is potentially deadly and in recent years has moved from its historic hospital setting to a much broader public concern.

The findings were presented today at a meeting of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, by David Bearden, a clinical associate professor in the College of Pharmacy at Oregon State University.
"Comparing these three product groups, the study showed that the benzethonium chloride product killed the community-associated MRSA bacteria more rapidly, and worked well against all four of the strains we tested," Bearden said. All of the products had some antibacterial effectiveness against MRSA bacteria, the OSU study found, but only the benzethonium chloride compound had a genuine "bactericidal" effect - meaning it reduced the number of bacteria by a factor of 1,000 - against all four of the tested MRSA strains.
... you just can't afford any more to take a minor injury or skin infection too lightly. You should treat the wound, try to prevent infection, and anything that is overly red, painful, swollen or has pus associated with it should be seen by a physician."
"The antibiotic-resistant forms of staph evolved in hospitals where very ill people were constantly being treated with powerful antibiotics," Bearden said. "It's only just recently that slightly different strains have moved into a more public setting. We've had outbreaks in schools, it's a concern with some contact sports."