Bacterial Growth Progression after Disinfection in Public

The study determined the bacterial growth progression after disinfection with alcohol in the toilet seats of Liceo de Cagayan University. Three experiments were performed at North Academic Cluster Building, Heritage Building and Arts and Sciences Building. Seventy percent (70%) ethyl alcohol was used as disinfectant. Two disinfection methods were tested namely disinfection to alcohol and alcohol with flame ignition. The results in the two tests were then compared to no disinfection procedure. One-time sampling was performed on selected areas. Sampling was done by swabbing the areas per time interval, before disinfection, immediately after disinfection, after 20 minutes and 40 minutes; diffusing them into distilled water and applying them into agar plates. Each plate is incubated and then photographed. Results showed a decline of bacterial growth after disinfection; however, the decrease in bacterial growth in the two disinfection methods was not statistically significant. Hence, it cannot be identified which disinfection method is better. Also, findings of the five most common bacteria tell that most strains are gram negative, which implies that pathogenic bacteria are dominant in these toilets.

 

Keywords: Toilet seats, Bacterial growth, Disinfection