ABSTRACT:

The antibacterial effects of Dettol antibacterial soap and Eva non-antiseptic soap were evaluated using two common skin dwelling bacteria -Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Characterization of bacterial isolates was done by standard microbiological techniques. Antibacterial activities of soaps were determined by disk diffusion assay and agar-well diffusion assay. The results revealed multiple antibiotic resistances in the test bacteria, with the highest resistance to oxacillin. S. aureus showed resistances ranging from 11% to 100%, while P. aeruginosa showed resistances of 80% and 100%. With the exception of S. aureus B2 (for Detttol) and S. aureus N1(for Eva), the multiple antibiotic resistant isolates showed varying degrees of susceptibility to the various concentrations of Dettol and Eva soaps. Inhibition zone diameters (IZD) varied from 10mm to 22mm for each soap. For both soaps, lower concentrations exerted higher antibacterial effects. The resistances of S. aureus B2 and S. aureus N1to Dettol soap and Eva soap respectively might indicate that previous exposures of these strains to the soaps have produced resistance in them. Agar-well diffusion assay was found to be more reliable than disk diffusion assay in the antimicrobial screening of soap solutions. Overall, there were no significant differences (P>0.05) in the antibacterial activities of Dettol soap and Eva soap, and no justification was found in this study for preference of Dettol antibacterial soap over Eva soap.