In vitro study reveals that acid and acidified nitrite kill hospital pathogens except Clostridium difficile spores, indicating survival past normal gastric barriers.
Exposure to pH 1 or 2 buffers or acidic gastric contents resulted in the killing of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus sp., Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida glabrata but not Clostridium difficile spores. Nitrite enhanced killing under acidic conditions, but significant killing of C. difficile spores required nitrite concentrations above usual physiological levels.
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Rao et al. (2006) studied this question.
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