Treatment of skin and soft tissue infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa-A review of our experiences with citric acid over the past 20 years

Multiple antibiotic resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a significant cause of burn wound infections and, skin and soft tissue infections. Because of its resistance to commonly used antibiotics and antiseptics, there is a shortage of therapeutic options for effective treatment. The present review summarizes the use of citric acid as a most potential substitute for antiseptics to control pseudomonal wound infections and its role in the process of wound healing. The various studies show that citric acid can be used as one of the alternatives when infection is caused by multiple antibiotic resistant strains of P. aeruginosa not responding to conventional treatment modality. The results of various earlier studies show that when resistance to antibiotics and antiseptics is a matter of great concern, citric acid as one of the potential alternatives should always be kept in mind.