Disinfection of Hands: Removal of Transient Organisms

Antiseptic detergent mixtures containing hexachlorophane or iodine have been found to cause a large reduction in the " resi- dent " skin flora when used repeatedly for washing the hands- an effect which was not obtained by the use of ordinary soap and water (Traub, Newhall, and Fuller, 1944 ; Seastone, 1947; Lowbury, Lilly, and Bull, 1963). Hexachlorophane has little immediate effect after a single application, but repeated use of the antiseptic causes a progressive reduction in the number of resident organisms. The poor activity of hexachlorophane against Gram-negative bacilli is another limitation which does not affect its value in reducing the resident flora, among which Staphylococcus aureus is the only common pathogen.