Common household soaps could be deadly for your nose

Researchers have claimed that an antimicrobial agent found in common household soaps, shampoos and toothpastes may be finding its way inside human noses where it promotes the colonization of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria and could predispose some people to infection.

Triclosan, a man-made compound used in a range of antibacterial personal care products such as soaps, toothpastes, kitchen surfaces, clothes and medical equipment, was found in nasal passages of 41 per cent of adults sampled.

A higher proportion of subjects with triclosan also had S. aureus colonization. S. aureus could promote infection in some populations such as people undergoing surgery.

Senior study author Blaise Boles, PhD, an assistant professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology at the university, said that it's really common in hand soaps, toothpastes and mouthwashes but there's no evidence it does a better job than regular soap.

He said that this agent may have unintended consequences in our bodies. It could promote S. aureus nasal colonization, putting some people at increased risk for infection.

Additional experiments found that S. aureus grown in the presence of triclosan was better able to attach to human proteins, and that rats exposed to triclosan were more susceptible to S. aureus nasal colonization.

The study has been published in journal mBio.