Designing a Chitosan-Infused Antibacterial, Highly Absorbent Tampon

Menstrual toxic shock syndrome (mTSS) remains a rare but serious health risk associated with tampon use, particularly with high-absorbency products that create oxygen-rich microenvironments ideal for Staphylococcus growth. Despite regulatory efforts following the rise of mTSS cases in the 1980s, the fundamental design of tampons has remained largely unchanged, leaving a critical gap in product safety, especially for users with heavy menstrual bleeding or high-demand lifestyles who rely on higher absorbency options. Chitosan, a natural, nontoxic biopolymer with demonstrated antibacterial properties, presents promising implications for innovation in tampon design. This study investigates whether chitosan-coated tampons can inhibit Staphylococcus epidermidis growth, used as a BSL-1 model for S. aureus, while preserving functional absorbency. High-absorbency cotton tampons were coated with standardized chitosan dilutions and compared with unmodified controls. Both groups were exposed to S. epidermidis suspensions, incubated for 24 hours, vortexed to release bacteria, and plated to quantify colony-forming units (CFUs). Thirty trials per group were conducted, and differences in bacterial growth were analyzed using t-tests.