Changes in the disintegration properties of some brands of paracetamol tablets inoculated with four bacterial species.

Four most common brands of paracetamol (4-aceta-midophenol) tablets were examined for the changes in their disintegration properties after inoculation with Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Klebsiella aerogenes and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and incubating for 5 weeks. The disintegration times varied from one brand to the other, reaching maximum values of 72 min., 82 min., 110 min. and 120 min. for S. aureus, B. cereus, P. aeruginosa and Klebsiella aerogenes, respectively. All brands of paracetamol tablets revealed the presence of cotton wool-like fibrils which were seen to be interwoven within the tablets' matrices and these were believed to have caused the higher disintegration times.