.... Antibacterial soap is any cleaning product to which antibacterial active ingredients have been added. These chemicals kill bacteria. They do not kill viruses. Phyla/Divisions Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Omnibacteria Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Bacteria (singular, bacterium) are a major group of living organisms. ... The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) A virus is a submicroscopic parasite that infects cells in biological organisms. ...

In an informal survey of liquid hand and body soaps at the supermarket, most contained antibacterial chemicals. Triclosan is a common ingredient, as is alcohol. Since there are a great many different kinds of bacteria, effectiveness against any given type of bacteria does not ensure that it is effective against unrelated types of bacteria. Triclosan (chemically 5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol) is a potent wide-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal agent. ...

Overuse of chemicals like triclosan have been suggested to cause sensitive bacteria to evolve resistance to its antibacterial action. Should any antibiotic be discovered that works similarly to triclosan, this antibiotic's effectiveness to combat infections will be reduced because people will be hosting resistant bacteria already due to their use of soaps containing triclosan. A speculatively rooted phylogenetic tree of all living things, based on rRNA gene data, showing the separation of the three domains, bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes, as described initially by Carl Woese. ... Antibiotic resistance is the ability of a microorganism to withstand the effects of an antibiotic. ... An antibiotic is a drug that kills or slows the growth of bacteria. ...

Studies have examined the purported benefits of antibacterial soap. Some studies have concluded that simply washing thoroughly with plain soap is sufficient to reduce bacteria and, further, is effective against viruses. Other studies have found that soaps containing antimicrobial active ingredients remove more bacteria than simply washing with plain soap and water (J.C. Lucet (2002), Hand Contamination Before and After Different Hand Hygiene Techniques: a Randomized Clinical Trial, Journal of Hospital Infection; L.L. Gibson (2002), Quantitative Assessment of Risk Reduction From Hand Washing with Antibacterial Soap, Journal of Applied Microbiology). SOAP is a protocol for exchanging XML-based messages over a computer network, normally using HTTP. SOAP forms the foundation layer of the web services stack, providing a basic messaging framework that more abstract layers can build on. ...

At one conference, Dr. Stuart Levy, a microbiologist at Tufts University, cites these studies to conclude: The term conference can be used to describe any meeting of people that confer about a certain topic. ... Tufts University is a private university located in Medford, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. ...

Dousing everything we touch with antibacterial soaps and taking antibiotic medications at the first sign of a cold can upset the natural balance of microorganisms in and around us, leaving behind only the 'superbugs'.¹

However, Dr. Levy's most recent research (Aeillo, et al. (2005) Antibacterial cleaning products and bacterial resitance; Emerging Infectious Diseases) concludes that "The results from our study do no implicate the use of antibacterial cleaning and hygiene products as an influential factor in carriage of antimicrobial drug-resistant bacteria on the hands of household members." The paper's authors call for continued research in this area.

Some soaps contain tetrasodium EDTA which is a chelating agent that sequesters metals that the bacteria require in order to grow. Other microbes also require metals and so it is actually an anti-microbial agent that is widely used even as a preservative. It appears to be fairly harmless in the environment. EDTA EDTA is the chemical compound ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, otherwise known as edetate, versene, or diaminoethanetetraacetic acid disodium salt. ... Chelation (from Greek, claw like) describes the reversible binding of an organic ligand, the chelator or chelating agent, to a metal ion, forming a metal complex, the chelate. ... A microorganism or microbe is an organism that is so small that it is microscopic (invisible to the naked eye). ... A preservative is a natural or synthetic chemical that is added to products such as foods, pharmaceuticals, paints, biological samples, etc. ...

There are other chemicals used in cleaning agents to kill germs but their purpose seems more directed at marketing an untested feature than in promoting hygiene. Germ is an informal term for a disease-causing organism, particularly bacteria (as in germ warfare). ... Hygiene is the maintenance of healthy practices. ...

External links

• ¹Benefits of exposure to bacteria and danger of antibacterial cleaners from CBC

Study Disproves Antibacterial Soap Scare The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), a Canadian crown corporation, is the countrys national radio and television broadcaster. ...