Evaluation of the Antibacterial Effectiveness of Some Antiseptics and Disinfectants

Application of disinfectants and antiseptics continue to be an essential part of infection control practices; as such, there is the need for constant evaluation of their effectiveness. The study aimed at evaluating the antibacterial effectiveness of some brands of disinfectants and antiseptics against some bacterial isolates. Two disinfectants—D1 (Sodium hypochlorite 3.85%) and D2 (7% Tar acid, phenol, 2% cresylic creosote)—and two antiseptics—A1 (Chloroxyenol B.Pc 48%nw/v, oleumpiniaromgticum 8.3%w/w) and A2 (Dichlorometaxylenol, IPA, terpinol)—were selected, and their efficacies against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella spp., and Escherichia coli were determined using agar disk diffusion methods. The potency of the disinfectants was further evaluated against phenol to establish the phenol coefficient (Pc). The results revealed that both the disinfectants and the antiseptics inhibited the different test organisms at various concentrations, producing higher inhibition zones at higher concentrations (P=0.001), with significant differences depending on the type of agent used (P=0.007). Both agents produced higher inhibition zones against S. aureus, Klebsiella spp., E. coli, and the least inhibition zones against P. aeruginosa. At 100% concentration, D1 produced the highest inhibition zone of 21mm against E. coli, while A1 produced the highest inhibition zones of 17mm against E. coli, S. aureus, and Klebsiella spp. The results indicated that both disinfectants (D1 and D2) are more effective than phenol and that D1 is more effective than D2, with a phenol coefficient of 3.0 and 2.0 against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, respectively, compared to D2 with a phenol coefficient of 2.0 and 1.05 against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa. The study identifies that both disinfectants and antiseptics, especially D1 and A1, were effective against the test isolates except P. aeruginosa, which was less susceptible.