Antifungal Activity Of Locally Made Soap On Dermatophytes Isolated From Barbing Equipment

Discussion, Conclusion And Recommendation

Discussion

The human hair harbors fungi, these fungi differs in their level of susceptibility to antimicrobial agents. The effect of soaps on the hair has not been widely studied. There is no soap that contains the required ingredient that suits all individual hair. Therefore reactions exhibited by individual hair differs from soap to soap. The different concentration tested on the different fungi isolated from human hair shows that the soaps contained antimicrobial activities which inhibited the growth of the fungi, T. rubrum, T. mentagrophytes and M. canisto different concentrations; 100%, 200%, 300% and 400%. The inhibition of the growth pattern of the isolates indicates the varying abilities of the fungi to resist the antimicrobial effect of the soaps. However these variations could be due to the differences in the nature and structures of the bacteria cell wall since it is the ultimate target of any antimicrobial agent or disinfectant. The result shows that the black soaps exhibited high levels of antimicrobial activity which is the ability of the soaps to inhibit the growth or destroy the organisms. The active ingredient in the soap is what distinguishes one type of the soap from another. The medicated soaps in this study were found to contain trichlocarban and triclosanas the active antimicrobial agents. These chemical compounds function by denaturing all disrupting cell activity and interfering with microbial metabolism. These depend on a number of factors such as the inherent properties of the organisms, contact time, the compostion of the soaps (e.gtriclosan), concentration of individual formulation and skin sensitivity. Traditional black soap lacks a key ingredient used in killing microorganisms such as triclosan, instead when the soap is scrubbed on the hair; it helps release oils on the surface of the hair that can kill and fungi bacteria and rinsing microorganisms away on the hair. It was also observed that black soap has the largest antimicrobial action against the isolates. However, the other soap sample (Dudu) possess very efficient antimicrobial agent but to a lesser degree.

Conclusion

In conclusion, The antifungi activity exhibited by Dudu and Black soap against dermatophytes isolated from barbing have provided scientific justification of their anti fungal activity.

Recommendation

I recommend that more attention should be given to the production of soaps or agents with antimicrobial effect as to help reduce the growth of microorganisms. Also, consumers should always use soap with antimicrobial effect to reduce the microbial load on human flora of the skin and hair.