In a new study, people who used antibacterial soaps and cleansers developed
cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever, vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms
just as often as people who used products that did not contain antibacterial
ingredients.
Since most common infections, including colds and flu, are caused by viruses,
the lack of an effect on symptoms "is not surprising," according to study author
Dr. Elaine L. Larson at the Columbia University School of Nursing in New York.
"Consumers need to know that it is more important to keep clean than it is to
use a specific antibacterial product," Larson told Reuters Health.
"Perhaps the frequent admonitions we heard as children are more valid now
than ever--cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze and wash your hands!" Drs.
J. Todd Weber and James M. Hughes of the National Center for Infectious Diseases
at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta note in a related editorial.
In response to the study, the Soap and Detergent Association and the
Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association said in a joint statement:
"Antibacterial cleaning and personal care products do what they say they do:
they kill harmful bacteria."
The results of the study are not surprising, according to the groups, since
antibacterial products are not intended to be effective against viruses.
The trade organizations' statement notes that antibacterial products,
depending on their active ingredients, may be effective against bacteria that
cause odor, skin infections, food poisoning and intestinal illnesses.
According to one study, Larson's group reports, approximately 75 percent of
liquid soaps and 29 percent of bar soaps in the U.S. contain antibacterial
ingredients. But the benefits of antibacterial products in preventing infectious
diseases in households are still unproven, they note.
Larson and her colleagues studied 238 Manhattan families who were given
almost a year's supply of free soap and household cleaners. Half of the families
were given antibacterial products, while the other half received products that
did not contain antibacterial ingredients. Families, most of whom were Hispanic,
did not know what type of products they were using.
For nearly a year, the families were closely followed to see how often they
experienced a wide variety of symptoms.
Runny nose, cough and sore throat were the most common symptoms, followed by
fever, vomiting, diarrhea and skin symptoms. These symptoms occurred just as
frequently in people who used antibacterial products at home as they did in
people who did not.
Throughout the study, use of antibacterial products did not have a
significant effect on any of the symptoms.
The "bottom line" of the study, according to Larson, is that all households
improved. During the study, participants had fewer infections and lower
bacterial counts on their hands than at the start of the study, she said.
The current report, which appears in this week's issue of the journal
Archives of Internal Medicine, does not include information about bacterial
counts. But in a previous analysis of the results, Larson and her colleagues
found that families experienced a drop in bacterial counts whether they used
antibacterial or normal soaps and cleansers.
Despite the lack of an effect on symptoms, Larson and her colleagues note
that antibacterial products may be appropriate for preventing bacterial
symptoms, or in other specific situations, such as when a family member has a
weakened immune system or has skin or gastrointestinal infections.
The authors note that any potential benefits of antibacterial products need
to be weighed against the possibility that bacteria may develop resistance to
antibacterial products. Although there is no evidence that this has happened,
laboratory tests suggest that it may be possible.
SOURCE: Annals of Internal Medicine, March 2, 2004.
