ACDM - Association Canadienne des Massothérapeutes et Autres thérapeutes en Médecines Alternatives
BACTERIA RESISTANCE INCREASING, IT IS EVERYONE'S BUISSNESS!
Annie Cloutier Ph.D.
Microbiologist, Neurophysiologist
Do you specifically select anti-bacteria cleaning products? Are you sure this is truly a better choice than regular soap or disinfectant? In fact, it is not! First, it is important to mention that these chemicals kill bacteria and some other microbes, but they do not kill viruses (responsible for many health problems including the cold and the flu). Plus, the antibiotics are natural substances secreted by bacteria and fungi to kill other bacteria that are competing for limited nutrients. For example, the use of antibacterial soaps when suffering from superficial mycoses can greatly enhance the pathogenicity of the fungus in question by removing potential bacterial competition leading to a rapid increase in fungal growth.
Bacteria surely mutate spontaneously to become more resistant to antibiotic and disinfectant agents, but resistance can also be provoked by applying a stress on the bacteria. Indeed, by using all sorts of anti-bacteria products only the strongest bacteria can survive. By evolution, the next generations of those bacteria will become more and more resistant to these different components included in the anti-bacteria products. This is also true when a person takes an antibiotic. The drug kills the defenseless bacteria, leaving behind, or "selecting" in biological terms, those that can resist it. These renegade bacteria then multiply, increasing their numbers a millionfold in a day, becoming the predominant microorganism. The risk of resistance is believed to be enhanced by patients not finishing the full course of antibiotics. All too often patients discontinue treatment when they begin to feel better. For sure, rational use of antibiotics may, among other things, reduce the chances of development of opportunistic infection by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration published a report that questions the use of antibacterial soap and hand sanitizers saying that it found no medical studies showing a link between a specific consumer antibacterial product and a decline in infection rates1. Moreover, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) studied data on antibacterial products and concluded that "the literature yielded no scientific data supporting the use of antimicrobial agents in household products as a means to prevent infection"2.
In conclusion, just keep in mind that many scientific studies have found that simply washing your hands correctly may mean more to your health than using an antibacterial soap!
Annie Cloutier Ph.D.
Microbiologist, Neurophysiologist
1- FDA questions use of antibacterial soaps (Tuesday, October 18, 2005) By Jane Zhang, The Wall Street Journal
2- Efficacy of triclosan: reply. Letters To The Editor. AJIC: American Journal of Infection Control. 27(1):72-73, February 1999.
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