Evaluation of Antibacterial Efficacy of Some Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers, Hand Soaps and Disinfectants

R. Subramaniam, Sumitheraa (2022) Evaluation of Antibacterial Efficacy of Some Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers, Hand Soaps and Disinfectants. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University College.

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Abstract

Due to the current pandemic, people are urged to maintain hand hygiene to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Courier packages, bags and many surfaces are also often asked to be disinfected to eliminate bacteria and viruses. Hand hygiene, is widely recognised as one of the most critical actions for preventing the transmission of infectious diseases. Hand hygiene includes a variety of techniques for eliminating or eradicating microorganisms that may be present on the hands, such as hand washing and sanitizing. When bacteria cling to surfaces, biofilms form. A biofilm is made up of cells that are immobilised on a surface and frequently encased in an organic polymer matrix generated from microbes. The term "disinfectant" refers to a chemical agent that inactivates microorganisms and is usually broad spectrum. This study is aimed to determine the efficiency of the cleansing agents on hands and hard surfaces. The results demonstrate that sanitizers work better than hand washes in eliminating bacteria from the hand. Alcohol at the range of 60% - 80% showed the best antimicrobial efficiency. Antibacterial hand washes can eliminate 65% – 85% of bacteria as compared to plain hand soaps. Gel hand sanitizer is commonly used even though liquid hand sanitizer is more efficient since it is more gentle on the skin. Surface disinfectants, sodium hypochlorite, is the most effective in killing biofilms when compared to benzalkonium chloride and ethanol. Gram negative bacterias are more resistant to the cleansing agents while gram positive bacterias are sensitive. The active ingredients, concentration, direction of use, contact time and the amount of cleansing agent used are factors that affect the efficiency.