Sepsis risk prompts recall of soaps, antibacterial products sold nationwide

Several soap and antibacterial products have been recalled nationwide after tests found microbial contamination that can cause sepsis, a potentially deadly condition.

DermaRite Industries has voluntarily recalled DermaKleen lotion soap, DermaSarra analgesic, KleenFoam antimicrobial foam soap and PeriGiene antiseptic products after detecting Burkholderia cepacia complex, a bacterium that can cause infections in health care settings, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC notes that the bacterium is most dangerous to people with weakened immune systems and chronic lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis.

In a news release, DermaRite said that in healthy people with minor skin lesions, use of the products could cause local infections, while immunocompromised people are at risk of sepsis — which the CDC calls “an extreme response” to infection that can be life-threatening.

Symptoms of sepsis include rapid onset of fever, chills, sweats, fatigue and changes in mental status, said Dr. Bruce Farber, Northwell Health’s chief of public health and epidemiology. 

DermaRite said it has notified distributors and customers to destroy all affected products.

The recalled items are sold over the counter nationwide and in Puerto Rico, the company said. A Google Shopping search Wednesday found no active listings. The company could not be reached for further comment.

Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog director for the advocacy group PIRG, said the products are primarily used in health care settings, so the risk of finding them in homes is low.

“If a consumer has been in a health care facility and has any reason to think they were treated with one of these products and are having a reaction, they should contact their doctor or primary care provider,” Murray said. “It’s up to the health care facility to get those products out of the hallways, out of the supplies.”

One concern, Murray said, is that the products could have been used by health care facilities to treat various skin conditions.

But no infections have been reported, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA urges anyone who believes they may be having a reaction to visit its website for more information.