Bacterial contamination of commercially available ethacridine lactate (acrinol) products.

Bacterial contamination of commercially available ethacridine lactate (acrinol) solutions and cotton gauze soaked in ethacridine lactate solution was investigated. Of 56 samples from ethacridine lactate solutions (eight products, seven manufacturers), seven samples (12.5%) of two products (two manufacturers) were contaminated with 10(1)-10(4) colony forming units (cfu)/mL of Burkholderia pickettii. Of 67 samples obtained from gauze soaked in ethacridine lactate solution (seven products, seven manufacturers), 41 (61.2%) of six products (six manufacturers) were contaminated with 10(2)-10(6) cfu/mL of bacteria. The major bacteria detected were Burkholderia cepacia and Burkholderia pickettii. This relatively high incidence of bacterial contamination in commercially available cotton gauze soaked in ethacridine lactate solution may be due to the presence of gauze in ethacridine lactate solution.