CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
Soaps and other cleansing agents have been around for quite a long time. For generations, hand washing with soap and water has been considered a measure of personal hygiene. Bacteria are very diverse and present in soil, water, sewage and on human body and are of great importance with reference to health (Johnson et al., 2012). Antibacterial activity is the ability to either destroy or inhibit the growth of microorganisms. This can be referred to as either cidal or static effects respectively. This is significant with respects to the human body in preventing sepsis and skin infections (Higakiet. al., 2000). Soap cleanses because molecules are attracted to the fatty part of the anions of the soap solution and are pulled off by dirty surface into water. Antiseptic soaps contain additional ingredients, usually for the treatment of skin disorders (Eckburget. al., 2005). Antiseptic soaps have germicidal substances like, irgasan, trichlorocarbanlide, (TCC) etc, incorporated into them to enhance their antibacterial activity (Friedman and Wolf, 1996). These germicidal substances are added in a specific amount and their percentages are always stated on the soap case or leaflet which contains the information on how to use the soap for various purposes. Normal micro flora (microorganisms) are found on the surface of all human skin (Prescott et al ., 2008) . The skin is an important organ of the body that serves for protection against infections by germs and shields delicate underlying tissues against injury (Speers and Dawson, 1965).If an individual loses this protection either by injury or by surgical operations, the person is much more susceptible to infections on the skin. Most of micro flora found on the human skin is harmless and some are beneficial. It is important to note that every organism is a potential pathogen because; even the most innocuous microbe may cause infection particularly if the skin is broken or infected. Some of the normal micro flora of the skin that are of bacterial origin include, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus aureus, Candida albicans, Mallasseiza furfur and Mycobacterium spp. This study is limited to some normal skin flora of bacterial origin. Bacteria are ubiquitous in nature, and live in the bodies of plants and animals (Fredrickson et al., 2004). There are approximately ten times as many bacterial cells in the human flora as there are human cells in the body, with a larger number of the skin flora. The normal skin micro flora are non – pathogenic, but could either be commensals (not harmful to their host) or mutualistic (beneficial). However, resident microbes can cause skin diseases and enter the blood system creating life-threatening diseases particularly in immunosuppressed people. (Alamet al., 1990). Suppression of the normal flora by use of antibiotics or other.
