An Examination of the Effect of Three Phenolic Disinfectants on Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Abstract

The effect of a phenolic disinfectant (o‐phenylphenol 45% w/w) with linseed oil soap or with soya oil soap on Mycobacterium tuberculosis was determined by three methods. Neither the geometrical dilution test nor the modified capacity use‐dilution test revealed any differences between the two disinfectants. However, paradoxically both methods proved that the highest concentration of the disinfectants tested (3·5% v/v) exhibited a very low germicidal effect on M. tuberculosis, whereas lower concentrations showed a much better effect. When determining the tuberculocidal effects of various concentrations of the two disinfectants at different exposure times, the higher concentrations showed very low effects, even after the longest exposure time. At concentrations of 2·0 and 1·0% (v/v), the disinfectants displayed the most rapid effects. In the present investigation the disinfectant with the linseed oil soap seemed to destroy the cells more quickly than that with the soya oil soap. The third disinfectant containing p‐chloro‐m‐cresol and o‐benzyl‐p‐chlorophenol with a total of 9·2% (w/w) phenols in a detergent system, did not display, when employing the capacity use‐dilution test, the same phenomenon in the concentrations used, but the experiment showed that the recommended use‐dilution concentration ought to be doubled.