Isolation And Identification Of Bacteria Of Used Toothbrushes

ABSTRACT

Used toothbrushes serve as reservoirs for microorganisms and may play a major role in disease transmission in humans. Forty used toothbrushes obtained from some students of Niger Delta University were analyzed bacteriologically using standard microbiological techniques. The toothbrushes were used twice per day for one month by the students. The result showed that all the toothbrushes were contaminated with bacteria while the unused ones which served as controls were not contaminated. The bacterial isolates from the toothbrushes were Streptococcus mutans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, and Enterobacter aurogenes. Staphylococcus aureus was predominantly isolated (30%) from the toothbrushes, followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (22%), Staphylococcus epidermidis (18%), Streptococcus mutans (16%), Escherichia coli (8%) and finally Enterobacter aerogenes (6%). Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus mutans, Escharichia coli and Enterobacter aerogenes were detected in 60%, 45%, 50%, 25%, 20% and 10% of the samples respectively. In view of the fact that these organisms are pathogenic and could be a potential health hazard, adequate rinsing and air-drying of the toothbrushes before storage will minimize the incidence of these bacteria and the health risk associated with them.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVER PAGE

TITLE PAGE

APPROVAL PAGE

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

ABSTRACT

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

• PROBLEM STATEMENT
• AIM AND OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
• SCOPE AND LIMITATION
• SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
• HYPOTHESIS
• APPLICATION OF THE STUDY
• METHODOLOGY
• PROJECT ORGANISATION

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

• REVIEW OF THE STUDY
• HISTORICAL AND DISCOVERY BACKGROUND OF MICROBES
• CLASSIFICATION AND STRUCTURE OF MICROORGANISMS
• ECOLOGY OF MICROORGANISMS
• APPLICATIONS OF MICROORGANISMS
• THE IMPACT OF MICROBES ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN ACTIVITIES

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

• INTRODUCTION
• STUDY OF AREA
• RESEARCH DESIGN
• SAMPLE COLLECTION
• ISOLATION OF BACTERIA
• IDENTIFICATION OF THE BACTERIAL ISOLATES

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0    RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

• RESULT
• DISCUSSION

CHAPTER FIVE

• CONCLUSION
• RECOMMENDATION

REFERENCES

CHAPTER ONE

1.0                                           INTRODUCTION

1.1                                           BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Toothbrushing plays an important everyday role for personal oral hygiene and effective plaque removal. It is the most commonly recommended and performed oral hygiene behaviour and is done ubiquitously in both developed and developing world.

The toothbrush is used on a daily basis to clean the oral cavity. A new toothbrush is usually not a favourable habitat for bacteria and fungi but in some cases, toothbrushes are already slightly infected before use (Downes et al., 2019). The oral cavity contains a teaming population of different types of microorganisms (Mehta et al., 2017), some of which are transferred to a toothbrush during use.

Toothbrushes are shown to be contaminated at the oral cavity environment and from hands, aerosols and the storage environments (Tagi et al., 2019).

The typical storage conditions of toothbrushes may act as a reservoir for the re-introduction of potential pathogens to the oral cavity and for the introduction of other potential pathogens from the bathroom environment. These microorganisms have the potential to colonize the oral cavity due to the micro-trauma that toothbrushing can cause. Bacteria which attach to, accumulate and survive on toothbrushes may be transmitted to the individual, causing disease (Caudry et al., 2017).

Several authors have done works on bacterial and fungal contamination of brushes, with higher or lower contamination being associated with numerous interferences placed between the brush and the handle (Mehta et al., 2017). Toothbrush has been characterized as a means of microbial transport, retention and growth and highly contaminated brushes may cause a possible constant re-infection which is a risk factor for periodontal disease (Goldschmidt et al., 2019).

Toothbrushes play an essential role in oral hygiene and are generally found in community and hospital settings. They have been reported to be heavily contaminated with microorganisms when in regular use and may play significant role in disease transmission and increase the risk of   infection   since   they   serve   as   a   reservoir   for in healthy, oral-diseased and medically-ill adults (Glass, 2012).

Contaminated toothbrushes have been suggested to play a role in both systemic and localized diseases. The possibility of toothbrushes being associated with the transmission of heart diseases, arthritis, bacteremia and stroke have also been reported (Sammons et al., 2014).

The aim of this study was to isolate, characterize and identify the bacterial contaminants on used manual toothbrushes obtained from some students of Niger Delta University, Bayelsa State, Nigeria.

1.2                                                 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

A toothbrush is an oral hygiene tool used to clean the teeth, gums, and tongue. It consists of a head of tightly clustered bristles, atop of which toothpaste can be applied, mounted on a handle which facilitates the cleaning of hard-to-reach areas of the mouth. Recently, the toothbrush has been characterized as a means of microbial transport, retention and growth (Mehta et al., 2007), and highly contaminated brushes may cause a possible constant “reinfection,” which is a risk factor for periodontal disease (Efstratiou et al., 2007) such as bacterial endocarditis, respiratory pneumonia, osteomyelitis in children, preterm low birth weight, and cardiovascular disease (Jørn et al., 2005). This study was carried out to investigating bacterial contamination of used toothbrushes.

• AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

This study evaluated the rate of microbial contamination of used toothbrushes used by students. The objectives of the study is to

1. To identify the microbes regularly associated with used toothbrushes
2. To determine the microbial load of used toothbrushes.

• To make a recommendation on remedial measures.

1.4                                                       SCOPE AND LIMITATION

This research worked in based on the isolation and identification of bacteria associated with used toothbrushes. This study covers the total bacteria count, isolation and identification of bacteria. However, it is limited to very few samples and bacterial studies only, because of limited resources.

1.5                                                      HYPOTHESIS

HO:     Bacteria are not observed on used toothbrushes and are not responsible for many infections among students.

Hg       = Bacteria are observed on used toothbrushes and they are responsible for many infection among students

1.6                                           SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will be useful to all users of toothbrushes by creating awareness of the presence of microorganisms in used toothbrushes.  The outcome of this research will guide users on how to avoid contacting micro-organism mostly from used toothbrushes. It is hoped that the result of this study will educate the public on the need for sound oral hygiene through adequate care of their toothbrushes.

1.7                                            APPLICATION OF THE STUDY

This study provides practical guidance which aimed at supporting all health professionals, teachers, pupils, and all users of handsets.

1.8                                             RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

In the course of carrying this study, numerous sources were used which most of them are by visiting libraries, consulting journal and newspapers and online research which Google was the major source that was used.

1.9                                   PROJECT ORGANISATION

The work is organized as follows: chapter one discussed the introductory part of the work,   chapter two presents the literature review of the study,  chapter three describes the methods applied, chapter four discusses the results of the work, chapter five summarizes the research outcomes and the recommendations.

CHAPTER FIVE

5.1                                      CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION

It became clear that contamination of toothbrushes occurs often, even in individuals who should know the ideal conditions for the storage of toothbrushes. All the used toothbrushes examined in this study were contaminated with bacteria which are known to cause serious health problems in humans. Since toothbrushes serve as reservoirs for microorganisms and play a major role in disease transmission and increase in risk of infections, their care should be given adequate attention. It is recommended that adequate rinsing with sterile water and allowing to dry in air before storage in hygienic dry containers. In addition sharing of toothbrushes should be discouraged.