Analysis of the Effect of Antimicrobial Soap on Bacterial Survival

This study will recruit up to 10 healthy volunteers. An avirulent strain of S. pyogenes will be applied to their forearms after washing each of their forearms with different types of soap, one with an antimicrobial compound, and the other without an antimicrobial compound. After several hours of incubation, the subject's forearms will be swabbed for bacteria. The forearms will then be cleansed with antibacterial soap and water followed by 70% ethanol. The bacterial swabs will be analyzed and compared between the different soaps that were used to cleanse each digit prior to the application of S. pyogenes. The investigator expects the number of bacteria surviving on the skin of forearms washed with antimicrobial soaps will be fewer than with control soap.