The Persistence of Resilient Bacillus Species on Sanitary Pads and Toilet Paper

Sanitary pads and tissue paper are essential hygiene products, but their microbial quality may be affected by contamination during manufacturing or storage. This study investigated the microbiological quality of 14 brands of tissue/toilet paper and 7 sanitary pad products sourced from South African retail stores to assess recoverable culturable bacteria, enzymatic and haemolytic assays, antibiotic susceptibility testing, and 16S rRNA sequencing for taxonomic identification. A total of 42 Gram-positive isolates were recovered, representing 13 putative Bacillus-related taxa. The most frequently recovered taxon was the Bacillus cereus group (n = 18; closest 16S rRNA matches B. cereus, B. thuringiensis, or B. anthracis), followed by B. velezensis. Beta-haemolysis was observed in 66.7% of isolates. High antimicrobial resistance was noted, particularly to Amoxicillin, with 57.1% of isolates demonstrating resistance. Multivariate analysis identified heterogeneous combinations of antimicrobial response, enzyme activity, salt tolerance, and haemolytic phenotype. These findings suggest that a subset of personal hygiene products may harbour spore-forming bacteria showing persistence-associated traits and reduced antimicrobial susceptibility, highlighting the need for continued microbial surveillance through the production and supply chain to safeguard consumer health.