Evaluation of antibacterial properties of various hand sanitizers wipes used for cosmetic and hand hygiene purposes in Nigeria

David Oluwole M., Ayeni D., Fakayode I. B. and Famurewa O.

Microbiology Research International
Published: September 16 2013
Volume 1, Issue 2
Pages 22-26

Abstract

Hand sanitizer wipe is formulated and used to reduce bacterial load on the skin but there have been no previous studies on the effectiveness of this product. In this study, the antibacterial activity of selected hand sanitizers was evaluated using three methods and ten wipes commonly used in Nigeria in a volunteer study. EDN^® inhibited all the microorganisms tested with highest and least zones of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis, respectively. NYC^® also inhibited all the organisms tested except Pseudomonas aeruginosa. All the organisms were resistant to DVN^®, FTR^® and ACS^® wipes. Using the in situ spread method DRB^®, DVN^®, FTR^®, ACS^® and TAF^® did not inhibit the growth of the microorganisms. Salmonella typhi was inhibited by three of the ten wipes whereas all the ten products showed decrease in bacterial loads although EDN^® was the most effective of the tested wipes. This study shows that the wipes have to be complemented by other types of hand disinfection to achieve effective hand hygiene.

Keywords: Sanitizers, pathogens, wipes, hygiene, antibacterial, hand washing.

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