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There are many natural products from animals, plants, fungi and bacteria that possess antibacterial properties. This makes complete sense from an evolutionary standpoint. Therefore, it should comes as no surprise that spices like cinnamon and natural products like honey possess inherent antibacterial properties. Nevertheless, despite my over 30 years as a card-carrying bacteriologist, I always pleased and pleasantly surprised when I learn that a common substance like cinnamon oil has potent antibacterial activity against antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens.

A recent study showed that a cinnamon oil solution was capable of killing a variety of nosocomial bacterial pathogens including Streptococcus pneumoniae and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Moreover, the cinnamon oil appeared to be as effective as several antiseptics and disinfectants widely used in many hospitals. And, this isn’t the first report on the antibacterial effects of cinnamon oil. In a 2008 study, French researchers showed cinnamon oil solutions of 10% or less were effective against S. aureus, Escherichia coli and several antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria.  Further, there is a precedent for the use of cinnamon-derived products as an antiseptic. In the Middle Ages thieves who stole jewelry from dead bodies and used “thieves oil”—a concoction consisting of cinnamon bark, lemon oil and eucalyptus—rarely got ill. Finally, cinnamon oil when topically applied to the skin is generally safe. However, in some people it can cause an allergic reaction.

This is good news for a country that has grown increasingly obsessed with chemically-based antibacterial soaps and sanitizers whose overuse may actually be selecting for the emergence of strains of multiple antibiotic resistant bacteria. Nevertheless, the use of natural antiseptics like cinnamon and other plant oils as sanitizers may help to reduce the growing incidence of  drug resistance among nosocomial bacterial pathogens.

Until next time....

Good Luck and Remember to Wash Your Hands (with plain soap, not antibacterial-containing products!)

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Metals like copper and silver have long been known to possess antibacterial properties. I learned this as an undergraduate microbiology major circa 1972. That said, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I read an article in today’s NY Times entitled "Regulators Stamp Copper as a Germ Killer". According to the article, the Copper Development Association (CDA), a NY-based trade group for copper companies, announced that federal regulators at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved its application to market copper, bronze and brass-containing products as antibacterials that are effective enough to protect against bacterial infection. Apparently, what made this newsworthy is that this is the first time that EPA has allowed health claims to be attached to a solid antimicrobial material (rather than an aerosol or liquid disinfectant). For those of you who may not know, EPA (not FDA) regulates antimicrobial agents like disinfectants and air fresheners that are not directly applied to the human body.

Not surprisingly, there are many consumer products already on the market which are impregnated with silver and some other antimicrobial substances that claim to reduce the risk of infection.  Some of the more creative and pricey ones include silver-coated computer keyboards and mice manufactured by Iogear. However, none of the companies that manufacture these products can legally claim that the impregnated metals in them kill bacteria or provide a health benefit because they never thought to submit data to  EPA regulators to substantiate these claims. This is marked contrast with the CDA which smartly and painstakingly performed “clinical studies” for the past 4 years with copper and its alloys (mostly door knobs) to gain regulatory approval to claim that these metals have bona fide antibacterial properties. According to a CDA spokesperson, additional “clinical trials are underway to test how copper bed rails, arm rests and other hospital fixtures can reduce the numbers of bacteria in hospitals.”

Don’t get me wrong–you gotta love the creativity of the CDA for developing an innovative business strategy to help maintain the price of copper and bolster the sales of copper-based products. As you may know, the advent of fiber optics and silicon chips has been steadily pushing the price of copper down for the past few years–something that the CDA is keenly aware of.  Unfortunately, in contrast with CDA’s new vision, I believe that the only way to effectively reduce the high bacterial loads in our hospitals is through vigorous enforcement of hospital sanitation and hygiene programs, regular screening of hospital personnel and routine environmental monitoring.  Based on over 30 of experience with food borne and nosocomial bacterial diseases, I firmly believe that improperly sterilized equipment and instruments and people who are either unsuspecting carriers or fail to maintain good sanitation and hygiene practices are the main causes of bacterial contamination and transmission in hospital settings. I don’t think that inanimate metal objects (which have long been known to have inherent antimicrobial properties) contribute to the high levels of bacteria that are commonly found in today’s hospitals. Nor do I think that replacing existing hospital fixtures with copper, brass or bronze ones will do much to reduce bacteria levels in most hospitals.  Nice try CDA–but no cigar this time (at least not from me)!

Until next time….

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!!

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