Researchers from Tufts Medical School in Boston are trying to capture some of the drug-resistant bacteria they fear may lurk in households where home cleaning products containing the compound triclosan are being used every day.

This Thursday's issue of Nature (8-14-98) describes the use of anti-bacterials outside of hospitals as a "fad that has crept up on us over the past three or four years to the point where it is overwhelming when you go to the supermarket".Dr. Stuart Levy, of the Tufts research group says that the triclosan compound products are really over the counter antibiotics."

Public officials have blamed the indiscriminate prescription of antibiotics by doctors for the spread of drug-resistant bacteria. The study from Tuft's university indicates the recent widespread use of antibacterial agents in everyday products may be doing the same.

In this household we have just,removed all anti-bacterial home products from use.My home care patient HAS developed an antibiotic resistant bacterial desease. We caregivers here, don't know if antibacterial products were responsible but we are no longer using them here, after learning of the potential dangers of these products.