Isolation of Some Microorganisms from Bar Soaps and Liquid Soaps in Hospital Environments

Abstract

This study was designed to determine the colonization of the in-use hand washing soaps in hospital settings. It is a comparative cross-sectional research in a surgical specialties and Baghdad teaching hospital in Baghdad, Iraq. Swabs from surfaces of bar soaps and from liquid soaps via their applicator tips; at the sinks of toilets of hospital staff and working rooms of the wards were taken in January 2008. Conventional microbiologic methods were used for culture of the swabs and identification of the isolates. Colonization was detected 60% and 15.9% in bars and liquid forms respectively. And this lead to the conclusion that bar soaps could be colonized with microorganisms excessively. Liquid hand washing soaps are more appropriate in hospital environments. Proper using conditions of the hand washing items should be defined in health care settings.
 Keywords: Bar soap, liquid soap, pseudomonas aeruginosa, nosocomial infections.

Growth of Gram-Negative Bacteria in Antiseptics, Disinfectants and Hand Hygiene Products in Two Tertiary Care Hospitals in West Africa—A Cross-Sectional Survey

“…About a quarter of bar soap samples (4/17, 23.5%) were contaminated with Gram-negative bacteria and this proportion was considerably lower compared to liquid soap products. It was also lower than the >50% proportions reported in most previous publications [ 48 , 50 , 51 , 55 ]; in part, this difference may be due to a lower availability and a more selective use of bar soap at the present study sites. Most studies comparing side-to-side bar soap with liquid soap found that bar soap was the most frequently contaminated [ 8 , 9 ].…”

“…It was also considerably higher than previously reported from LMIC which was—when intrinsic contamination and low counts of staphylococci were subtracted—between 0 and 17.1% [ 9 ]. The reasons for the presently high contamination ratio are probably an interplay of multiple factors conducive to contamination (see below) in a setting with fewer resources compared to the previously published articles which originated from higher income level countries in Southern and Western Asia [ 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 ].…”