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Do baby wet wipes change periurethral aerobic flora?

Dursun A Senses1, C Elif Oztürk, Neşe Ersöz Yar

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Duzce University School of Medicine, Duzce, Turkey. sensesdali@yahoo.com

Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases
|July 24, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Baby wet wipes and water/napkins show similar safety for infant periurethral flora. This study found no significant difference in bacterial colonization when cleaning babies after diaper soiling.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Pediatrics
  • Dermatology

Background:

  • Infants experience significant enteric bacterial colonization in the periurethral area.
  • Fecal soiling is a primary cause of this bacterial colonization.
  • Concerns exist regarding chemical cleansing compounds in baby wet wipes potentially contributing to colonization.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the effect of baby wet wipes versus water and napkins on periurethral flora.
  • To investigate the potential role of wet wipes in bacterial colonization.
  • To assess the safety of different infant cleaning methods.

Main Methods:

  • Periurethral culture samples were collected from 173 infants.
  • Infants were divided into two groups: those cleaned with baby wet wipes (Group A) and those cleaned with water and napkins (Group B).
  • Colonization patterns of uropathogens and skin flora were analyzed and compared between groups.

Main Results:

  • No statistically significant differences in periurethral flora colonization were observed between the wet wipe group and the water/napkin group (P > 0.05).
  • Rates for uropathogen only, uropathogen and skin flora, and skin flora only/no growth were comparable across both cleaning methods.
  • There was no significant difference in uropathogen isolation frequency between males and females.

Conclusions:

  • Baby wet wipes are as safe as water and napkins for cleaning infants after diaper soiling.
  • Current evidence suggests wet wipes do not adversely affect periurethral bacterial colonization compared to traditional methods.
  • Further research may explore long-term implications, but initial findings support the safety of wet wipe usage.

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