To Avoid Spreading Germs, Expert Recommends Hand Washing
January 19th, 2012
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Fears of contracting the H1N1 virus this flu season have folks steering clear of strangers with coughs and scolding friends who do not sneeze into their crooked elbows. With everybody trying to stay germ free, hand sanitizer has become a popular means of protection. But though a quick pump from a Purell dispenser will be the most convenient form of hand cleaning, is it the very best?
Not necessarily, according to Saint Joseph’s University medical microbiology expert Michael McCann, Ph.D., who recommends washing with soap and water whenever possible. McCann says this-tried-and true method is still the very best when it comes to killing germs and protecting your self from the flu.
However, if you can’t get to soap and water, he suggests carrying an alcohol-based, rather than an antimicrobial, sanitizer. The latter contains chemicals like triclosan, which McCann warns, can cause much more harm than great.
“The wide-spread use of antimicrobials by the general public might be a literal case of over-kill,” says McCann. “While antimicrobial-containing hand sanitizers and soaps can be very effective at inactivating influenza viruses, over use can be problematic. Research suggests wide-scale application of these sanitizers promotes the evolution of drug-resistant strains of bacteria. Many contain chemicals — like triclosan — that specifically kill bacteria, but do not harm us. The problem is, triclosan can trigger ‘selection,’ which occurs when conditions turn out to be favorable or unfavorable for individual bacterium of the same species, based on genetic variation.
In this case, if millions of bacteria are exposed to triclosan, it kills almost all of them. But if 1 of those bacteria has a genetic mutation that enables it to survive the lethal chemical, then the application of triclosan will select for that individual. Only bacteria resisting the chemical survive.
Descendents of resistant bacteria also carry the mutation, which leads to the generation of large populations of resistant organisms. “This is exactly what has happened with antibiotics, and why strains of bacteria like MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) are no longer susceptible to many typically used antibiotics,” he adds.
McCann says studies have shown sanitizers that use alcohol — ethanol and/or isopropyl– are much more effective at killing microorganisms and inactivating viruses than triclosan. Further, there does not seem to be a mechanism by which bacteria along with other organisms can evolve resistance to alcohols — an additional reason to use these products.
Source
Saint Joseph’s University
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