Evaluation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in home kitchens and bathrooms: Is there a link between home disinfectant use and antibiotic resistance?

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between home disinfectant use and the prevalence of antibiotic resistance among environmental isolates of human pathogens. METHODS: Bacteria were cultured from 5 kitchen and 5 bathroom sites using quantitative methods. Antibiotic susceptibility was determined by standard methods. Home disinfectant use was assessed via a questionnaire. RESULTS: The overall total mean log10 counts (total CFU) for the kitchen and bathroom were 4.31 and 4.88, respectively. Gram-positive bacteria were more common in the bathroom (4.05) than in the kitchen (3.60), while Gram-negative bacilli were more common in the kitchen (4.23) than in the bathroom (3.86). The sink and bath drains were the most contaminated sites with 6.16-log10 of total CFU and 6.6-log10 in the kitchen and bathroom, respectively. Households reported cleaning frequency with a variety of commercial products. Most respondents used antibacterial products (eg, soaps, surface disinfectants) in the home. Antibiotic-resistant pathogens were infrequently isolated in the homes evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to pathogens causing community-acquired clinical infections in the ICARE study, pathogens isolated from households are less likely to demonstrate antibiotic resistance. In addition, no relationship between antibacterial use or frequency of cleaning or disinfection and antibiotic resistance was revealed.

Duke Scholars

Author Gregory P. Samsa Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Division of Biostatistics