Academia Journal 2014;7(12) http://www. academia.edu/ Efficacy of alcohol-based hand sanitizer on hands soiled with dirt and cooking oil Shobayo BI 1 , Ojo DA 1 , Olaboopo AO 1 , Agboola DA 2 , Omemu AM 3 , Akingbade OA 4 1. Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria 2. Department of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria 3. Department of Food Service and Tourism, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria 4. School of Medical Laboratory Science, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos State, Nigeria bodeshobayo@gmail.com , daojo3@yahoo.com ; Tel: +2347032565917 Handwashing education and promotion are well established as effective strategies to reduce diarrhea and respiratory illness in countries around the world. However, access to reliable water supplies has been identified as an important barrier to regular handwashing in low-income countries. Alcoholbased hand sanitizer (ABHS) is an effective hand hygiene method that does not require water, but its use is not currently recommended when hands are visibly soiled. This study evaluated the efficacy of ABHS on volunteers’ hands artificially contaminated with Escherichia coli in the presence of dirt (soil from Tanza- nia) and cooking oil. ABHS reduced levels of E. coli by a mean of 2.33 log colony forming units (CFU) per clean hand, 2.32 log CFU per dirt-covered hand, and 2.13 log CFU per oil-coated hand. No significant difference in efficacy was detected between hands that were clean versus dirty or oily. ABHS may be an appropriate hand hygiene method for hands that are moderately soiled, and an attractive option for field settings in which access to water and soap is limited. Keywords: Antibacterial activity, REVIEW The hand plays an important role in transmission of infectious agents as suggested by Semmelweis (WHO 2009, Pires et al., 2017), particularly when people live in close contact with each other. The contagious agents can be spread through hands in families, schools, college dormitories. In close contact the infectious agents are not only transferred by hand to hand contact but also indirectly by inanimate objects like door knobs sitting ground etc (Meadows, and Saux, 2004). In 2007, a study was conducted to review the effectiveness of hand sanitizer in reducing the respiratory infection. Currently hand hygiene is considered as one the most important measure to prevent any hand transmitted infection (Olalekan, and Adeola, 2014). Since hand washing was not considered as the standard method to eliminate all microorganisms, alcohol based hand sanitizers are recommended for disinfection of hand. This is due to its efficiency, applicability and tolerability. These hand sanitizers are recommended throughout the world including America and Europe (WHO 2009). Alcohol based hand sanitizers are proved to be the best for gastrointestinal and respiratory infections caused by viruses and gram negative bacteria (Sharif, and Ansari, 2015). The side effect of alcohol based hand sanitizer is its dryness of the skin. However it can be prevented by addition of humectants and skin conditioning agents. Non-alcohol based hand sanitizer viz. benzalkonium chloride is known to have weak activity against gram negative bacteria as compared to alcohol and is prone to contamination by these bacteria. Hand sanitizer is better option than the soap and water. It is safe and easy to handle and can be used in the community. Origin of sanitizer Sanitizers are used to rapidly kill bacteria. They kill off the bacteria by causing the proteins to become damaged and outer layers of the bacteria cell to rupture. Sanitizers are agents applied to hand to reduce the number of unwanted microorganisms to a safe level. Using sanitizer should be a routine part of daily man sanitation. Sanitation includes the substances or methods used to destroy microorganisms in order to maintain a healthy, disease-free environment. Sanitation methods prevent unwanted organisms from coming back after sanitizer has been applied. There are several different types of sanitizer and sanitation methods that can be used to prevent disease and destroy pathogens that are present. Using sanitizer and sanitation methods on your property is a very important step in biosecurity. Sanitizers are guarantee for eradicating disease but are very effective at reducing the risk. Majority of sanitizer cannot work on top of dirt, manure, or organic material, so be sure to thoroughly clean surfaces before application. Make sure you allow enough contact time when applying (follow instructions) for the sanitizer to be effective. Sanitizing or 1