Effect of Long-Term Use of Alcohol-Containing Handwashing Gels on the Biofilm-Forming Capacity of Staphylococcus epidermidis

Rosa M. Lopez-Gigosos, Eloisa Mariscal-Lopez, Mario Gutierrez-Bedmar and Alberto Mariscal ()
Additional contact information
Rosa M. Lopez-Gigosos: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Malaga University, 29016 Málaga, Spain
Eloisa Mariscal-Lopez: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Malaga University, 29016 Málaga, Spain
Mario Gutierrez-Bedmar: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Malaga University, 29016 Málaga, Spain
Alberto Mariscal: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Malaga University, 29016 Málaga, Spain

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 6, 1-11

Abstract: The spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has promoted the use of hand sanitizers among the general population as recommended by health authorities. Alcohols, which are used in many hand sanitizers, have been shown to promotes the formation of biofilms by certain bacteria and to increase bacterial resistance to disinfection. We investigated the effect of continued use of alcohol-based gel hand sanitizer on biofilm formation by the Staphylococcus epidermidis resident strain isolated from the hands of health science students. Hand microbes were counted before and after handwashing, and the ability to produce biofilms was investigated. We found that 179 (84.8%) strains of S. epidermidis isolated from hands had the ability to form biofilm (biofilm-positive strains) in an alcohol-free culture medium. Furthermore, the presence of alcohol in the culture medium induced biofilm formation in 13 (40.6%) of the biofilm-negative strains and increased biofilm production in 111 (76.6%) strains, which were classified as low-grade biofilm-producing. Based on our findings, there is no clear evidence that the continued use of alcohol-based gels results in the selection of strains with the capacity to form biofilms. However, other disinfectant formulations that are more commonly used in clinical settings, such as alcohol-based hand-rub solutions, should be tested for their long-term effects.

Keywords: Staphylococcus epidermidis; hand disinfection; biofilm; alcohol-based gel (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/6/5037/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/6/5037/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:6:p:5037-:d:1095398

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().