Triclosan and triclocarban exposure, infectious disease symptoms and antibiotic prescription in infants—A community-based randomized intervention

Background Triclosan and triclocarban (TCs) are broad-spectrum antimicrobials that, until recently, were found in a wide variety of household and personal wash products. Popular with consumers, TCs have not been shown to protect against infectious diseases. Objectives To determine whether use of TC-containing wash products reduces incidence of infection in children less than one year of age. Methods Starting in 2011, we nested a randomized intervention of wash products with and without TCs within a multiethnic birth cohort. Maternal reports of infectious disease symptoms and antibiotic use were collected weekly by automated survey; household visits occurred every four months. Antibiotic prescriptions were identified by medical chart review. Urinary triclosan levels were measured in a participant subset. Differences by intervention group in reported infectious disease (primary outcome) and antibiotic use (secondary outcome) were assessed using mixed effects logistic regression and Fisher’s Exact tests, respectively. Results Infectious illness occurred in 6% of weeks, with upper respiratory illness the predominant syndrome. Among 60 (45%) TC-exposed and 73 (55%) non-TC-exposed babies, infectious disease reports did not differ in frequency between groups (likelihood ratio test: p = 0.88). Medical visits with antibiotic prescriptions were less common in the TC group than in the non-TC group (7.8% vs. 16.6%, respectively; p = 0.02). Conclusions Although randomization to TC-containing wash products was not associated with decreased infectious disease reports by mothers, TCs were associated with decreased antibiotic prescriptions, suggesting a benefit against bacterial infection. The recent removal of TCs from consumer wash products makes further elucidation of benefits and risks impracticable.