EVALUATION OF THE ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF DETTOL

Dettol is a common brand of antiseptic in Nigeria. The aim of this study was to simulate the in-use antibacterial activity of Dettol against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in household bathing water. The E.coli and S.aureus isolates used were clinical strains obtained from stock cultures in the Pharmaceutical Microbiology Laboratory, Madonna University, Elele. The susceptibility of the test organisms to Dettol were determined using the agar-well diffusion technique. The results indicated that Dettol was effective against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Dettol was determined using agar dilution method. An MIC of 5.0%v/v was obtained for both E.coli and S.aureus. The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of 5%v/v and 10%v/v was also obtained for E.coli and S.aureus respectively. The killing time for the in-use dilution of Dettol to eliminate the test organism was determined using 25mls of Dettol in 1000ml of water, giving a concentration of 2.5%v/v. Results from the killing time test also indicated that the in-use dilution of Dettol appreciably killed the test organism within 30minutes of contact. Findings in this study suggest that Dettol will reliably inhibit the growth of bacteria organisms in bathing water.