Fungal Contamination of Home-Made and Factory-Produced Antiseptics and Disinfectants in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

This study was carried out to assess the fungal contamination of commercially available antiseptics and disinfectants in Lagos, Nigeria. Fifty (50) samples were purchased from different vendors and subjected to microbiological analysis. Isolation of fungi was done by enrichment and culturing on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar fortified with chloramphenicol using the spread plate method. Identification was achieved using cultural and morphological characteristics with lactophenol cotton blue stain. Antimicrobial susceptibility test was achieved by the disc diffusion assay using commercially available nystatin (100 units), voriconazole (1 g) and fluconazole (25 g) antifungal discs. Thirty-one (31) of the samples analysed were commercially produced in factories whereas nineteen (19) were home-made and commercialised. Twenty one of the stock samples (42%) were contaminated with fungi after incubation for a week. The enriched samples had a fungal contamination rate of 86% (43/50) while 14% (7/50) was free of any form of fungal growth. The fungal species identified were as follows: Chrysosporium tropicum (44%) > Penicillium chrysogenum (25%) > Alternaria solani (13%) > Aspergillus niger (10%) > Aspergillus flavus (4%) > Fusarium solani (2%) > Penicillium marneffei (2%). Penicillium chrysogenum, Fusarium solani and Penicillium marneffei were resistant to all the antifungal agents used while Chrysosporium tropicum and Alternaria solani were susceptible to the three antifungals. This study revealed a high level of fungal contamination of the antiseptics and disinfectants investigated and established the presence of some potentially pathogenic organisms that could have serious medical consequences.