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Are antibacterial products doing more harm than good?
Are antibacterial products doing more harm than good?
As the problem of antibiotic resistance is debated around the world, a top New Zealand microbiologist says an antibacterial agent in many common household products could be doing us more harm than good.
Associate Professor Mary Nulsen highlighted her concerns at the New Zealand Microbiological Society Conference in Rotorua last week, where she received the prestigious title of 2015 Orator for her contribution to medical microbiology.
It is the highest honour awarded by the society, presented annually to a member who has demonstrated an outstanding contribution to microbiology in New Zealand.
Speaking at the conference, Dr Nulsen says she’s particularly concerned with an antibacterial agent called Triclosan found in many common household products such as chopping boards, soaps, toothpastes and clothes. “It is estimated that 1kg of Triclosan is produced for every 3kg of antibiotics and is so widely used it can now be detected in people’s urine and nasal secretions.
“It has been argued that the mechanism of resistance to Triclosan is different from that of antibiotics but there is increasing evidence this is not the case.”
Dr Nulsen says the widespread use of Triclosan is making us less safe. “When bacteria develop resistance to Triclosan it increases their resistance to antibiotics. Where previously household products like chopping boards might have been colonised with antibiotic-susceptible bacteria, they will now be colonised with antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
“It is time to recognise that we cannot get rid of bacteria and that antibiotic-susceptible bacteria are much less of a threat to our health than resistant organisms. We should still encourage good hygiene, for example, washing our hands with ordinary soap regularly to get rid of potential pathogens. But
antibiotics are very valuable drugs which underpin many modern medical practices, and we should do everything we can to preserve them for future use when we really need them.”
ENDS
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