Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2004 Feb 1;35(2):138-43.
doi: 10.1097/00126334-200402010-00006.

Tolerance and safety of different concentrations of chlorhexidine for peripartum vaginal and infant washes: HIVNET 025

Craig M Wilson  1 , Glenda Gray, Jennifer S Read, Anthony Mwatha, Sanjay Lala, Saul Johnson, Avye Violari, Portia Mabali Sibiya, Thomas R Fleming, Ann Koonce, Sten H Vermund, James McIntyre
Affiliations

Tolerance and safety of different concentrations of chlorhexidine for peripartum vaginal and infant washes: HIVNET 025

Craig M Wilson et al. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. .

Abstract

Background: There is a continuing need to evaluate sustainable interventions for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV type 1. We evaluated different concentrations (0.25%, 1%, and 2%) of chlorhexidine (CHX) for perinatal maternal and infant washes to identify the maximum tolerable concentration of CHX for such an intervention.

Methods: Women were enrolled during their third trimester at the maternity unit of the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, South Africa, and perinatal maternal and infant washes were completed. Subjective maternal symptoms as well as infant examinations were used to assess tolerability of the washes.

Results: The 0.25% concentration of CHX was well tolerated by the mothers (n = 29). Ten of 79 women (13%) with 1% CHX washes complained of mild vaginal area burning or itching, and washes were stopped in 5 (6%). Twenty-three of 75 women (31%) in the 2% CHX wash group had subjective complaints, and the washes were stopped in 12 (16%). There were no clinical indications of toxicity of the CHX washes among infants.

Conclusion: A 1% solution of CHX appears to be a safe and tolerable concentration of CHX for consideration in an MTCT prevention trial.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The conclusions and opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the funding agencies and/or participating institutions, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the US Government.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. UNAIDS. AIDS epidemic update. Feb, 2001. Available at: http/www.unaids.org/epidemic_update/report_dec2001.
    1. Kourtis AP, Bulterys M, Nesheim SR, et al. Understanding the timing of HIV transmission from mother to infant. JAMA. 2001;285:709–712. - PubMed
    1. Bulterys M, Nolan ML, Jamieson DJ, et al. Advances in the prevention of mother-to-child HIV-1 transmission: current issues, future challenges. AIDScience. 2002. Available at: http://aidscience.org/articles/aidscience017.asp.
    1. Nolan ML, Greenberg AE, Fowler MG. A review of clinical trials to prevent mother-to-child HIV-1 transmission in Africa and inform rational intervention strategies. AIDS. 2002;16:1991–1999. - PubMed
    1. The International Perinatal HIV Group. The mode of delivery and the risk of vertical transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1: a meta-analysis of 15 prospective cohort studies. N Engl J Med. 1999;340:977–987. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms