Can povidone-iodine kill fungi?
Jan 23, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Yang Ziqi
Introduction
Povidone-iodine can kill fungi. It is a broad-spectrum antiseptic solution, with the main component being an amorphous complex of iodine and a surfactant. This disinfectant can eliminate bacteria, fungi, parasites, and some viruses that proliferate at the affected site. Iodine directly halogenates microbial proteins, causing precipitation and denaturation of fungal proteins, thereby destroying their cellular structure and function, achieving the purpose of sterilization.
Generally, povidone-iodine can kill fungi. The detailed explanation is as follows:
Povidone-iodine is a broad-spectrum antiseptic solution, and its main components are amorphous complexes of iodine with surface-active agents. This disinfectant can kill bacteria, fungi, parasites, and certain viruses that proliferate at the affected site. Iodine directly halogenates microbial proteins, causing precipitation and denaturation of fungal proteins, thereby damaging their cellular structure and function, achieving the purpose of disinfection.
When fungal infections occur on the skin, such as tinea manuum/pedis (hand/foot fungus), dermatophytosis, and other skin conditions, applying povidone-iodine can provide a certain therapeutic effect. Additionally, povidone-iodine can be used for disinfection of surgical sites to reduce the risk of microbial invasion into the bloodstream during surgery. It can also serve as an adjunct in treating gynecological vaginitis caused by bacterial or fungal infections.
When using povidone-iodine, sufficient contact time with the fungi is required to achieve effective antimicrobial action. Moreover, higher concentrations of povidone-iodine generally demonstrate better efficacy against fungi.
