ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF HAND SANITIZERS SOLD IN UMUAHIA, ABIA STATE, NIGERIA

Decontamination of hands is accomplished by hand washing with soap or by use of waterless hand sanitizers. Hand sanitizers are formulated and used to reduce bacterial load on the skin. This study was aimed at comparing the activity of six alcohol based hand sanitizers (A, B, C, D, E and F) sold in Umuahia, Abia state, Nigeria, against clinical bacterial isolates ( Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Susceptibility of the bacteria isolates was evaluated using the agar well diffusion method by measuring the zones of inhibition observed after 24 hours of incubation. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) were determined using the broth dilution technique. B and F hand sanitizers both had the highest zones of inhibition (30 mm) against Staphylococcus aureus and an average of 20 mm and 25 mm against Pseudomonas aeruginosa respectively. Product “D” hand sanitizer showed the highest antibacterial potency as it inhibited the test organisms at low concentrations with MIC and MBC of 1.52% and 3.125% both for staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa respectively. This study shows that alcohol based hand sanitizers have the potency to achieve effective hand hygiene.