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Does the Wide Use of Quaternary Ammonium Compounds Enhance the Selection and Spread of Antimicrobial Resistance and Thus Threaten Our Health?
- Source :
- Microbial Drug Resistance. 16:91-104
- Publication Year :
- 2010
- Publisher :
- Mary Ann Liebert Inc, 2010.
-
Abstract
- Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are widely used biocides that possess antimicrobial effect against a broad range of microorganisms. These compounds are used for numerous industrial purposes, water treatment, antifungal treatment in horticulture, as well as in pharmaceutical and everyday consumer products as preserving agents, foam boosters, and detergents. Resistance toward QACs is widespread among a diverse range of microorganisms and is facilitated by several mechanisms such as modifications in the membrane composition, expression of stress response and repair systems, or expression of efflux pump genes. Development of resistance in both pathogenic and nonpathogenic bacteria has been related to application in human medicine and the food industry. QACs in cosmetic products will inevitably come into intimate contact with the skin or mucosal linings in the mouth and thus are likely to add to the selection pressure toward more QAC-resistant microorganisms among the skin or mouth flora. There is increasing evidence of coresistance and cross-resistance between QACs and a range of other clinically important antibiotics and disinfectants. Use of QACs may have driven the fixation and spread of certain resistance cassette collectors (class 1 integrons), currently responsible for a major part of antimicrobial resistance in gram-negative bacteria. More indiscriminate use of QACs such as in cosmetic products may drive the selection of further new genetic elements that will aid in the persistence and spread of antimicrobial resistance and thus in limiting our treatment options for microbial infections.
- Subjects :
- Microbiology (medical)
Biocide
Microorganism
Immunology
Microbial Sensitivity Tests
Drug resistance
Microbiology
Industrial Microbiology
Antibiotic resistance
Flora (microbiology)
Drug Resistance, Bacterial
Animals
Humans
Pharmacology
Bacteria
biology
business.industry
Industrial microbiology
biology.organism_classification
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Biotechnology
Quaternary Ammonium Compounds
Public Health
Efflux
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 19318448 and 10766294
- Volume :
- 16
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Microbial Drug Resistance
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....9a5ce3c77c747ec699494110fa86678a