A common ingredient in toothpaste and hand cleansers, triclosan, may contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance, according to a study from the University of Queensland.
- Triclosan, found in personal care products, accelerates the spread of antibiotic resistance
- The US Food and Drug Administration has banned the use of triclosan in antibacterial soaps
- Antimicrobial resistance is a major public health threat worldwide
Triclosan is one of the most commonly used antimicrobials in cosmetics, Dr. Jianhua Guo said. In the United States alone, it is found in over two thousand products on the market.
– Meanwhile, while it is well known that the abuse and improper use of antibiotics may promote the formation of the so-called So far, scientists have not been aware that other chemicals can also cause resistance to antibiotics, says Dr. Guo.
‘We were wondering that wastewater from residential areas has similar or even higher concentrations of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes compared to hospitals where there should theoretically be more of them,’ he explains.
‘Then we started to wonder if non-antibiotic antibacterial chemicals (NAAMs) such as triclosan could directly trigger antibiotic resistance,’ he adds.
As Guo points out, these types of compounds are used in large amounts every day in almost every household, which translates into their high concentration in sewage and then the environment. And this can induce multi-drug resistance.
“Our discovery provides strong evidence that triclosan in the personal care products we use every day accelerates the spread of antibiotic resistance,” concludes Dr Guo.
Director of the Center for Advanced Water Management, Professor Zhiguo Yuan, adds that the study should be a wake-up call that prompts policy makers to reassess the safety of these types of products and their impact on human health and the environment.
– It is true that the US Food and Drug Administration has banned the use of triclosan in antibacterial soaps, but the previous lack of conclusive evidence prevented the adoption of such a policy in many other countries – says prof. Yuan.
Antimicrobial resistance is a major public health threat worldwide. Each year, about 700 people die from antibiotic-resistant infections. people.
The WHO’s latest Review on Antimicrobial Resistance report predicts that by 2050 there will be 10 million deaths a year unless action is taken.
An article on this topic appeared in the latest issue of the journal Environment International.