Today it s hard to find a hand soap in your grocery store aisle not containing triclosan or some other antimicrobial germ fighter. Widespread use Triclosan s pervasiveness prompted geneticists at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston to investigate whether its widespread use could generate a strain of resistant bacteria, causing it to lose its effectiveness. The study, published in the Aug. 6 edition of the scientific journal Nature , found in tests on E. coli bacterium that triclosan targets a specific bacterial gene. Although researchers have not yet found resistant bacteria that are the product of triclosan exposure, the discovery that the compound targets a specific genetic site means the potential for developing a resistant bacterial strain is much higher, the study s authors conclude. Levy said triclosan and other antimicrobials have valid uses in clinical areas, but cautioned against their indiscriminate use.
Antimicrobials guard against many forms of infection, including bacterial infections.
Antibacterials guard against only bacterial infections. Use of antimicrobials needs to be monitored, said Linda Doyle, RN, an infection control consultant in Oxnard. Infection control people have to be alert and look for changes in organisms in their own facilities. Doyle recommended nurses be vigilant about following handwashing guidelines with regular soap and have access to antimicrobials when needed. CDC guidelines recommend using antimicrobial soaps when caring for newborns, patients in high-risk units, and severely immunocompromised patients.