Effects of deodorant on microflora of the armpit of female students of a tertiary institution in Nigeria

Majority of deodorants incorporate an antimicrobial agent as active ingredients to inhibit the growth of microbial populations responsible for sweat degradation and malodor generation. Research about deodorants are becoming more popular but very little is known about these products; and a multiple of reports and possible harmful effects of their use are circulating in the media. In a microbiological perspective, our goal was to evaluate the effects of deodorant on the microflora of the armpit. The study lasted for one month and was divided into 2 phases: Phase I consist of two weeks without deodorant usage, while phase II consist of two weeks of deodorant usage. The brand of deodorant used was ‘Bouquet Deodorant’. Axillae swabs were collected from 20 consented female students of the University under study. Samples were cultured and incubated at 37^oC both aerobically and anaerobically for 24 – 48H on chocolate, blood and MacConkey agars. Antibiotic susceptibility test was done on nutrient agar using disc diffusion method of Bauer and Kirby. The isolates identified consist of Staphylococcus albus which was predominant and accounted for 52.4% and 50.0% of the bacterial isolates for the first and second weeks respectively. Other bacteria isolated include Staphylococcus aureus (42.9% and 46.1%) and Klebsiella spp (4.7% and 3.9%) respectively for the successive two weeks. All the isolates showed some degree of susceptibility to the antibiotics used. There was a sustained reduction of the Gram positive cocci and a general elimination of the Gram negative bacteria during two weeks usage of deodorant.