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http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/GeneralInfectiousDisease/tb/6432ANN ARBOR, Mich., Aug. 16 -- Washing hands with an antibacterial soap was no more effective at reducing bacterial levels or preventing illness than washing with ordinary soap, researchers said. Action Points
Explain to interested patients that antibacterial soaps are no better at preventing infection symptoms -- coughing, sneezing, diarrhea -- than plain soap, and may cause some bacteria to become resistant to commonly used antibiotics.
Furthermore, the soaps, most of which contain the antimicrobial triclosan, produced worrisome antibiotic cross-resistance among different species of bacteria, according to a study reported in a supplement to the Sept. 1 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.
...Many of the available bacterial-reduction studies have shown that increased application time tends to result in greater efficacy, a practice not typical in real-world practice, the researchers said.[continued]
I have often wondered about this. AFAIK contact time is always important for antibacterial agents, but I checked some soap that we had which only says to wash hands, and rinse. .