Assessment of the bacteriological quality and efficacy of two hand sanitizers sold within Ilishan-Remo Community of Ogun State, Nigeria

Background. Hand sanitizers have been recognized as an effective means of reducing bacterial load and transmission. It is needful to periodically assess the bacteriological status of individual products due to batch variation. Aim. This study was designed to assess the bacteriological quality and efficacy of two hand sanitizers sold within the Ilishan-Remo community of Ogun State, Nigeria, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology. Samples of two brands of hand sanitizers were procured and assessed using standard bacteriological methods, including Sterility test, Surface viable count, Gram-stain, Motility test, Biochemical tests, Quantitative suspension test, and Agar diffusion test. Data were analyzed with paired-samples T-Test using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences -Version 20.0 (SPSS-20.0) to assess for significant variation between the effectiveness of the two hand sanitizers. P-values <0.05 was considered significant. Results. The study's outcome showed the satisfactory bacteriological quality of both hand sanitizers tested. However, the mean bacterial load was not significantly reduced after sterilization using both hand sanitizers. The hand sanitizers' bactericidal activity was also considered unsatisfactory since the Log reduction was less than 5. Brand B hand sanitizer proved to be more potent than Brand A at the contact time. Each of the products displayed varying inhibitory activities against the bacterial isolates. Conclusion. The study highlighted the need to periodically assess the bacteriological quality and efficacy of hand sanitizers to guarantee the general safety of the end users and ensure proper infection control.