UDC 613.481:615.28]-07:616.5-002.3-084

N. P. Likhacheva, E. G. Suvorova, Z. Yu. Kozinda, L. B. Vazbin,
E. E. Topchiyan, S. D. Stepanisko, A. P. Batanov

Antimicrobial Wool Materials for the Prevention and Treatment of Skin Diseases

Antimicrobial textile materials are finding increasingly widespread use in medicine [1, 2, 4, 5] and in other sectors of the economy. Wool materials with antimicrobial activity against various forms of microorganisms have now been developed [3].

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of antimicrobial wool articles (underwear and socks) in preventing and treating pustular and fungal skin lesions.

For this purpose, clinical trials were conducted using wool socks containing 0.9% copper ions, socks containing 1% 5-nitrofuryl-2-acrolein (NFA), and underwear containing NFA chemically bonded to the wool fiber (this compound is used as an intermediate in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals).

A total of 39 patients were observed, of whom 10 had pyoderma and wore antimicrobial wool underwear containing 1% NFA; the remaining 29 were treated for tinea pedis and used antimicrobial socks. The antimicrobial articles were changed and washed every 7 days using a method developed at the Central Research Institute of Wool. Some patients with pyoderma (5 patients) and some with tinea pedis (15 patients) used the antimicrobial articles as their sole treatment; the remaining patients used them as an adjunct to drug therapy. In a control group of 22 patients with similar conditions, patients received topical treatment alone.

In all patients with tinea pedis, skin scrapings from the feet were taken every 3 days during observation for bacteriological examination to detect mi-

…fungal mycelium. At the same intervals, samples of discharge from skin lesions in patients with pyoderma were cultured. All patients showed improvement in the condition of their skin while wearing the antimicrobial articles. For example, among patients who wore antimicrobial socks, itching decreased noticeably as early as days 3–5 of observation and ceased completely by days 7–8 of treatment.

In all 29 cases of epidermophytosis, the diagnosis was confirmed by bacteriological examination to identify the causative agent of the fungal skin infection.

Patients who wore socks containing 0.9% copper ions without medication recovered completely within 7–14 days, whereas those who wore socks containing 1% NFA, also without medication, recovered after 10–20 days of wear.

In patients receiving combined treatment—wearing antimicrobial socks containing copper ions or NFA in conjunction with topical antifungal agents—recovery was faster, occurring within 3–10 and 3–8 days, respectively. Rapid recovery was also observed in patients with pyoderma who received no topical treatment: on days 2 and 4 of wearing antimicrobial underwear, exudation decreased sharply and, in some cases, ceased, while inflammatory changes in the skin lesions diminished noticeably. By days 5–7, the erosions had fully epithelialized, and by days 7–10 the crusts had completely detached from the lesions. In none of the patients did the pathological process spread over the skin surface. Antimicrobial woolen underwear was particularly effective in superficial forms of pyoderma (impetigo vulgaris), preventing lesions from spreading to adjacent areas of skin.

In the control group, recovery occurred within 12–18 days.

An examination of the microflora isolated from lesions in patients with pyoderma showed that, in most cases, staphylococci were cultured both as monocultures and in association with other microorganisms. Staphylococci were more often cultured as monocultures, and in most cases the isolates were pathogenic strains.

In the initial examination of skin scrapings from the feet of all 29 patients diagnosed with epidermophytosis, fungal pathogens were detected. On further examination, however, fungal mycelium was not detected by bacterioscopy in three patients on the sixth day of wearing the antimicrobial articles and in five patients with fungal disease on the ninth day. This indicates a selectively targeted fungicidal action of the agent contained in the material. The results confirmed laboratory findings on the antimicrobial action of samples of the material containing NFA.

The antimicrobial material also had to be assessed not only for its antimicrobial (fungicidal) action but from a variety of other perspectives. We conducted comprehensive toxicological, sanitary-chemical, and physiological-hygienic studies involving human participants, as well as tests of articles made from antimicrobial woolen materials under various conditions of use. After positive results were obtained, the USSR Ministry of Health authorized clinical trials of the antimicrobial woolen articles and their use under particularly demanding conditions.

As a preventive measure, antimicrobial underwear and socks were tested during expeditions of the Komsomolskaya Pravda high-latitude expedition and the Everest high-altitude expedition [6].

Our findings indicate that antimicrobial articles have a beneficial effect on the skin of patients with pyoderma, confirming the effectiveness of antimicrobial underwear in the treatment and prevention of pustular skin diseases and epidermophytosis of the feet. Its use is most appropriate in combination with medication.

The prevention and treatment of fungal skin infections using antimicrobial (fungicidal) articles constitute an intervention directed at the disease process and therefore produce a rapid and reliable effect when combined with medication.

The woolen materials studied, which contain copper ions and NFA, have not only a pronounced selective fungicidal action but also antimicrobial properties. This unique combination of properties may be useful for people living or working under particularly demanding conditions.

Conclusions

1. Antimicrobial woolen underwear is most appropriately used to treat pyoderma in combination with medication.
2. For superficial forms of pyoderma, antimicrobial woolen underwear containing 1% NFA is recommended as the principal treatment.
3. Antimicrobial woolen articles do not have irritating, toxic, or allergenic effects on the skin.
4. Antimicrobial woolen socks are most effective against epidermophytosis of the feet when combined with topical medication.
5. Antimicrobial woolen underwear and socks are appropriate for use under particularly demanding conditions to prevent pustular skin diseases and recurrences of various forms of epidermophytosis of the feet.

References

1. Goryainova L. K., Pola K. A., Likhacheva N. P., et al. In: Current Issues in Immunodiagnostics and Immunoregulation. Tallinn, 1982, pp. 259–261.
2. Guseva A. I., Likhacheva N. P., Koshcheev V. S., et al. Hygiene and Sanitation, 1981, no. 7, pp. 30–32.
3. Kozinda Z. Yu., Suvorova E. G., Gorbacheva I. N. Azo dyes with fungicidal properties. Inventor’s certificate 910703 (USSR).
4. Likhacheva N. P. In: Medical and Technical Problems of Individual Human Protection. Moscow, 1982, issue 23, pp. 45–55.
5. Likhacheva N. P., Kutkova O. N., Nazarov L. Yu., et al. In: Synthetic Polymers for Medical Use. Dzerzhinsk, 1979, pp. 114–116.
6. Suvorova E. G., Kozinda Z. Yu., Gorbacheva I. N., et al. Textile Industry, 1983, no. 5, pp. 38–40.

Received August 14, 1984.