In vitro inhibitory effects of commercial antiseptics and disinfectants on foodborne and environmental bacterial strains

Background : Antibacterial agents, including disinfectants and antiseptics are commonly used to reduce bacterial loads. As they have a broad-spectrum of activity against bacteria, function either as bactericidal or bacteriostatic agents. While bacterial antimicrobial resistance is increasing, disinfectants and antiseptics are still relevant antibacterial agents. Methods : This study investigated the in vitro inhibitory effects of commonly used antiseptics and disinfectants. Using standard disc diffusion methods, selected common household antibacterial agents were tested on resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from hospital environment and foodborne Escherichia coli and Bacillus species. Results : The study showed that the selected antibacterial agents were effective against the antibiotic resistant bacteria with appreciable zone of inhibition relative to the standard controls used. Conclusions : Though bacteria are consistently developing resistance to available antibiotics, disinfectants still inhibit bacterial growth and survival with considerable public health importance.