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Imprint
Biocide tolerance and antibiotic cross-resistance in bacterial pathogens
Project
Project code: BfR-BIOS-08-1322-674
Contract period: 01.01.2017
- 31.12.2017
Purpose of research: Applied research
Biocidal products are regulated by EU Regulation No. 528/2012 concerning the making available on the market and their use. Biocidal products are designed to kill harmful organisms, render them harmless, prevent their effects, or otherwise combat them. In Germany alone, more than 30,000 biocidal products exist which are used to control pests such as insects, rats, but also fungi and bacteria. Biocides, especially microbicides, are increasingly used, for example in production environments, consumer goods and foodstuffs, to prolong the shelf life of products and to avoid bacterial infections. Unfortunately, there are no comprehensive sales and consumption data for biocide-treated products. The 2009 COWI Report, commissioned by the EU Commission, estimated the annual production / import volume of active biocidal substances in Europe at 400,000 tons. According to the COWI report, disinfectants such as sodium hypochlorite, chlorine and hydrogen peroxide are among the substances with the highest production volumes. Product type 2 (disinfectants and algae control agents, which are not intended for direct use in humans and animals)represents the largest group with 162,000 tons. Du to the inappropriate use of microbicides in many areas, the retention of microbicide residues on surfaces as well as dilution effects in the environment, microorganisms in different habitats come into contact with sublethal microbicide concentrations over longer periods of time. This can lead to an unwanted selection pressure in bacterial communities, which can contribute to the spread of adapted tolerant strains. Phenotypic and genotypic changes which, in addition to resistance, also affect properties such as virulence, persistence or biofilm formation potential, can be caused by adaptive processes. Furthermore, microbicides can influence mutation rates and exchange rates of mobile genetic elements between bacterial populations. Thus, microbicides could contribute to the co-selection of antibiotic resistance and virulence genes. Some studies have been carried out to evaluate whether microbicides lead to bacterial tolerance or resistance. However, the results are controversial and the impact on public health is difficult to estimate. Substances such as quaternary ammonium compounds (QAVs), phenols, and aldehydes are widely used. In order to better understand the possible sequelae of biocides, their mode of action and / or resistances of microorganisms must be further characterized. Multifactorial mechanisms and the effects on microbial communities are still largely unclear. Furthermore, there is a lack of standardized and harmonized methods for investigating and assessing the development of bacterial biocide tolerances. The development of antimicrobial resistance to biocides is usually investigated in vitro, but data are missing in different environments and the consequences of long-term use of biocides are not sufficiently investigated. Lastly, potential risk factors for biocides, mechanisms of action and scientific knowledge gaps were summarized in 2009/2010 by the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) of the European Commission on Health and Food Safety.
Section overview
Subjects
- Food microbiology
- Toxicology
