PSEUDOMONADS IN COSMETICS 80• tion and during warm weather can discharge counts of 100,000 or more gram-negatives. The best water control system the author has devised has been the installation of a hot water storage tank and manufacturing processes have been revised to use hot water wherever possible. The manufacturer must take steps to ensure that no build-up of re- sistant organisms occurs in the production and distributing systems. This can be effected by factory hygiene using hot water, detergent and formalin treatment of filling machines, tanks, pumps, filters, mills, pipes, etc., immediately after use. Microbiological tests on equipment should be made to insure the effectiveness of the cleansing operation. The presence of thousands or hundreds of organisms/swab or ml calls for im- mediate action. Tens may be unavoidable although zero counts can be obtained from areas whose cleanliness is deemed crucial. Ayliffe et al. (26) described an outbreak of meningitis in 14 neurosur- gery patients. The infectious agent was Pseudomonas aeruginosa. An examination of the environment revealed the epidemic strain in a shaving brush used for preparation of the scalp and on the floor of a room oc- cupied by an infected patient. Twenty other strains were isolated from hand creams, sinks, floors, soap trays, sink cloths, and the cap of a bottle of antiseptic. Good general cleanliness is important in controlling pseudomonas con- tamination. And by general cleanliness is meant that of shelves, bins, tables, beneath tables, the under side of shelves, etc. At these points spillage of products mixed with dust, dirt and moisture provide a men- struum for the development of resistant pseudomonad strains. Two incidents illustrate the diligence necessary in meeting a pseu- domonas problem within a plant. 1. A strain of pseudomonas had adapted to a pharmaceutical steriod cream. The microbial content was monitored through the mixing ket- tle, filter, pump, homogenizer, aging tank, pipelines, and filling machines. Each element in the process was scrupulously cleaned and sterilized, and yet the very next batch had to be rejected. The number of organisms in the product was so large that it could only have been introduced by a massive inoculation. The only element in the chain that had not been dismantled had been an in-place pipe delivering the emulsion from tank to filler. The line, however, had been cleaned and formalin-sterilized and zero plate counts were obtained from the effluent to prove it. It was found, on breaking into the pipe, that the water had cleaned the bottom oval of the pipe, while the top oval, because of the low pitch, con- tained a layer of cream. Recovery of viable organisms could not be

806 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS made immediately after the sterilizing treatment, but within a short time the infection reestablished itself within the top oval, and a water wash thereafter contained thousands of pseudomonads/mi. Scouring the pipe eliminated the problem and the next batch which was contaminated again had to be rejected. Microbial examination of the entire process failed to reveal any source of inoculation. A gimlet-eyed chemist solved the problem. He found an economy-minded, filling-line supervisor had utilized, as a lubricant for the cap of the vial, rejected material which had escaped destruction. This material, which should have been disposed of weeks earlier, contained hundreds of thousands of organisms/mi. Thereafter, there were no problems. 2. The laboratory reported a significant microorganism content in an experimental make-up product. The preparation in time killed the pseudomonad which had an identifiable characteristic. The source proved elusive. Two bottles containing a suspension of an ingredient used in the preparation were found tucked away in a rarely used part of the stockroom. The bottles were coated with a mixture of spillage and dust. The contents were sterile but a swab of the spillage yielded thousands of the particular pseudomonad/square centimeter. It is probable that with time these organisms, if not eliminated, would have completely adapted to the preparation. CONCLUSION This paper represents the experience of a microbiology laboratory in dealing with industrial pseudomoniasis over more than a decade. Dur- ing this period, respect for pseudomonads as adaptive organisms has continued to grow. The lesson to be learned is that eternal vigilance is the price of quality and, occasionally, even of safety. (Received April 12, 1967) REFERENCES (1) Bejucki, W., Pseudomonas its ubiquity and roles in industrial microbiological test procedures, personal communication (1965). (2) Hugo, W. B., and Foster, J. H. S., Bacteriocidal effect upon Pseudomonas aeruginosa of chemical agents for use in ophthalmic solution, .h 7Pharm. 7Pharmacol. 16, Suppl. 124T- 126T (1964). (3) Brown, M. R. W., and Norton, D. A., The preservation of ophthalmic preparations, J. Soc. Cosmetic Chemists, 16, 369-393 (1965). (4) U.S. Federal Register, 29 F.R. 12458, September 1, 1964. (6) Bryce, D. M., and Smart, R., The preservation of shampoos, .h Soc. Cosmetic Chemists, 16, 187-201 (1965).