Introduction:

The skin surface is inhabited by microorganisms responsible for the biochemical balance; some are pathogenic and persist despite hand washing.

Objective:

To identify, in university students, the bacterial flora resistant to hand washing.

Methods:

A longitudinal, analytical and observational study was carried out, for which university students were included who previously received educational talks on hand hygiene. Samples were taken before and after hand washing.

Results:

Of 80 samples analyzed, Staphylococcus epidermidis was identified as the most frequent in 95% of the students and, with hand washing, it was reduced to 60%. The second agent was Staphylococcus saprophyticcus, present in 75% of the cases and, after hand washing, in 35%. E. coli occupied the third position, as it was found in 42.5% of the samples and, after hand hygiene, it was reduced to 17.5%. For transient agents like Klebsiella (P<0.05) and Pseudomonas, handwashing was more effective; however, E. coli was the enterobacterium that remained elevated despite hand hygiene (P=0.01).

Conclusion:

Some E. coli colonies are resistant to hand washing, similar to resident agents such as Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus saprophyticcus and Staphylococcus aureus.

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