Effects of an Antibacterial Soap on the Ecology of Aerobic Bacterial Flora of Human Skin

AUTOR(ES)

Voss, J. G.

RESUMO

The effects of ad lib use of an antibacterial soap containing 1.0% trichlorocarbanilide and 0.5% trifluoromethyldichlorocarbanilide on the bacterial flora of six skin sites of 132 subjects were measured by comparison with the flora of 93 control subjects who avoided the use of topical antibacterials. Each subject was examined once. The test soap produced significant reductions in geometric mean counts of the total aerobic flora on the back, chest, forearm, calf, and foot; counts were also reduced in the axilla, but not to a significant extent. The overall reduction by the test soap on all sites was 62% (P < 0.001). Neither age nor sex influenced the effect of the soap on the flora. The antibacterial soap also reduced the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus on the skin, mostly by virtually eliminating it from areas other than the axilla. Partial inhibition of the gram-positive flora was not accompanied by an increase in gram-negative species. The latter were found principally in the axilla; Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterobacter aerogenes were the species most frequently found.

Documentos Relacionados

• Effects of topical erythromycin on ecology of aerobic cutaneous bacterial flora.
• Effect of antimicrobial soap containing chlorhexidine on the microbial flora of skin.
• Aerobic microbial flora of intertrigenous skin.
• Uneven distribution of aerobic mesophilic bacteria on human skin.
• The Environment and the Microbial Ecology of Human Skin