ABSTRACT
The demand for hygiene products has increased worldwide since the outbreak of global COVID-19. As the hygiene products market is expanding, it is necessary to manage microbial contamination in wet towels and wet wipes. This study evaluated pretreatment methods for microbial recovery from wet towels and wipes and microbial contamination levels in wet towels and wipes with the pretreatment method. Escherichia coli (NCCP14038 and NCCP14039), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC25923 and ATCC29213), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (NCCP10250 and NCCP11229) were inoculated on five fabric materials of wet towels and wet wipes. The recovery rates of the bacteria from wet towels and wet wipes using three pretreatment methods (pummeling, hand shaking, and portion cutting method) were investigated. Using the selected pretreatment method, the contamination levels of E. coli, S. aureus, and P. aeruginosa were evaluated for 238 wet towels and 244 wet wipes, which were collected in April to August, 2019. The presence of toxA and antibiotic resistance of P. aeruginosa isolated from wet towels were evaluated. The overall recovery rates of the pummeling method and hand shaking method were higher than the portion cutting method. Considering the convenience, the pummeling method was used to investigate the microbial contamination in the wet towels and wet wipes. P. aeruginosa was detected in two wet towels at an average of 9.9x102 CFU/towel. E. coli and S. aureus were not detected in both wet towels and wipes. P. aeruginosa isolates showed no resistances to piperacillin, piperacillin-tazobactam, aztreonam, and gentamicin, but had toxA. The results indicate that the pummeling method is the most appropriate pretreatment method for the recovery of microorganisms, and microbial analysis showed that this method could be useful in monitoring microbial contamination in wet towels and wet wipes.
ABSTRACT
The uncontrolled spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced nations to shut their borders and impel the lockdown. Although the pandemic has affected the nations economically and socially, the nationwide lockdown has also dramatically affected the supply and demand for feminine hygiene products. It became interesting for the researcher to investigate the effect of COVID-19 lockdown in the purchase decision, availability, and perception of women for feminine hygiene products. The study was conducted employing a quantitative approach. A self-administered questionnaire was used to elicit responses from females using a convenience sampling technique and interpret the data ordinal logistic regression method. The findings of this study indicated that within the lockdown period, females with consistent income started buying a slight high quantity of feminine hygiene products so that they can store them for an emergency;it has also been seen that they find it difficult to shop for these products from the stores as in the initial period of lockdown as these products were not put into essential item list. So shortage was noted. However, females observed these products as important products for storage;This study will assist the policymakers and private ownerships in better insight into females' attitudes toward feminine hygiene products and provide timely resources and services to the affected population during a pandemic situation.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: This systematic review aimed to establish whether antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs following prolonged use of antimicrobial hand hygiene (HH) products, and, if so, in what magnitude. METHODS: Key bibliographic databases were searched to locate items on HH use and AMR development from database inception to December 2020. Records were screened and full texts of all potentially eligible articles were retrieved and checked for inclusion. The following data from the included studies were abstracted: type of HH product used, including the name of antimicrobial agent, study setting, country, study year, duration of use and development of AMR including the organisms involved. Quality assessment was done using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). RESULTS: Of 339 full-text articles assessed for eligibility, only four heterogeneous United States (US) studies conducted in the period between 1986 and 2015 were found eligible, and included. One hospital-based study showed evidence of AMR following long term use of HH products, two studies conducted in household settings showed no evidence of AMR, and another experimental study showed partial evidence of AMR. The overall certainty of the evidence was moderate. CONCLUSION: Prolonged use of HH products may cause AMR in health care settings, but perhaps not in other settings.