Evaluation of the Efficacy of a Commonly Used Antiseptic Soap in Reducing the Bacterial Load on the Palms of Some Undergraduate Students of Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu Alike Ikwo, Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Introduction: The human hand serves as a carrier of microorganisms, comprising both transient and normal flora. The present study aims at evaluating the efficacy of a commonly used antiseptic soap in reducing the bacterial load on the palms of some undergraduate students of Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu Alike Ikwo, Ebonyi State. Methods: Handwashing with the antiseptic soap was carried out according to the World Health Organisation protocol on handwashing. Bacterial identification was done using morphological and biochemical characteristics, also antimicrobial susceptibility test was carried out on the identified bacterial species using agar diffusion according to the method of Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute. Results: The result of the bacterial load indicated bacterial load of 2.0×102 before handwashing and 0.96×102 after handwashing, on plate count agar and bacterial load of 7.7×101 before handwashing and 3.2×101 on MacConkey agar, the results were statistically analyzed using Chi-square test. The following bacteria species were identified from the palms of the students after handwashing; Strep. pneumoniae, Staph. aureus, Staph. spp, Strep. spp, A. baumannii, E. coli. Conclusion: The result of the statistical analysis showed that sanitol antiseptic soap significantly reduced the bacterial load on the palms of the participants.