Laboratory-Based Investigation of Calcium Hypochlorite as an Antibacterial Agent Against Escherichia Coli and Staphylococcus Aureus

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest global public health challenges, driving the need to develop effective alternatives for disinfection and pathogen control. This study aims to evaluate the biological activity of calcium hypochlorite—one of the most widely used disinfectants in medical and food-related fields—against two common pathogenic bacteria: Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. A purely experimental approach was adopted by exposing both strains to graded concentrations of calcium hypochlorite and assessing the effects through turbidity testing, spectrophotometric absorbance measurements, and colony counts. The results showed a significant reduction in bacterial density with increasing concentration, and high effectiveness of the compound in eliminating both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, though at varying levels. The study recommends the use of this compound in health and environmental applications within specific concentration ranges, and calls for future research on its effectiveness in complex biological environments.