Disinfectants as a double-edged sword: Are disinfectants promoting antimicrobial resistance?
Abstract
The discovery of antibiotics has been a turning point in modern medicine saving countless lives. Antibiotics kill bacteria through different mechanisms however, just after a few years later resistance to antibiotics started to emerge. Bacteria are able to acquire resistance to antibiotics via target alteration, efflux pump and enzymatic modification just to name a few. Disinfectants are used to sterilize an environment and control the spread of dangerous pathogens. Nonetheless, the misuse of disinfectants can also promote the rise of resistance via target alteration, impermeability and efflux pumps. These resistant strains may also be co-resistant to antibiotics and this superbug may be untreatable. It is evident that more research needs to be devoted to understanding if and how resistance emerges towards disinfectants and how it can be combatted.