Antibacterial activity of chloroxylenol and thymol against pathogenic bacteria isolated from under long nails

M.O.I. Albureikan, L.M.A. Alotaibi

Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, King Abdelaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia. malboraikan@kau.edu.sa

---

• Microbiology

OBJECTIVE: Fingernails are a perfect area for harboring bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella sp., Shigella sp., and Escherichia coli. These bacteria under the long nails may cause diseases due to the contact of nails with food or while biting the nails. Our study aimed to compare the antibacterial activity of chloroxylenol and thymol, two different detergent ingredients, on microorganisms isolated from long fingernails. This study was performed to raise awareness of the dangers of long nails and the importance of good nail hygiene.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: The present study was performed on female students at the Faculty of Science, King Abdelaziz University. Bacteria were isolated from under one finger nails and cultured on both McConkey agar and mannitol salt agar. After incubation, we isolated bacteria on nutrient agar. After that, we conducted several tests to determine the isolate type. Finally, we prepared three different concentrations of chloroxylenol and thymol to compare their effect on the isolated bacteria using antibacterial activity on Mueller-Hinton agar.

RESULTS: Two types of bacteria were isolated, pathogenic bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus and non-pathogenic bacteria called Staphylococcus epidermidis. Staphylococci have more sensitivity to chloroxylenol than thymol. In addition, chloroxylenol, at high concentrations had a more powerful antibacterial effect.

CONCLUSIONS: The results emphasized that fingernails could harbor pathogenic bacteria which are difficult to remove. Perfect hand hygiene is essential to prevent the spread of diseases.

Free PDF Download