The Effect of Lubricant on the Viabillty of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin / 대한비뇨기과학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Intravesical instillation of bacillus Calmette-Guerin(BCG) is an established and effective therapy for the superficial bladder carcinoma. The viability of BCG is crucial for the induction of a local immune response as well as effective therapy of recurrent superfical bladder carcinoma. Lubricants are used to facilitate catheterization during intravesical instillation of BCG. Moreover bacteriostatic components contained in them have potential to reduce the viability of the BCG. To verify this assumption, inhibitory effect of four commercially available lubricants on the BCG growth was analyzed. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Four different lubricants and their components were co-incubated with Connaught strain BCG and the resultant growth of BCG was assessed. RESULTS: Significant impairment of BCG viability with lubricants was noted. Chlorhexidine digluconate which is the component of lubricant was considered as responsible for this inhibition. CONCLUSIONS: During intravesical BCG, lubricants might reduce the number of viable BCG in clinical use. For this reason, during intravesical immunotherapy with BCG small amounts of lubricants should be used for urethral catheterization and use of lubricant which does not contain bacteriostatic agent should be considered.