APUA

APUA: Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics
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Overuse of the antimicrobial triclosan in antibacterial soaps may promote triclosan-resistance
McMurry LM, Oethinger M, Levy SB (scientific correspondence). 1998. Triclosan targets lipid synthesis. Nature August 6, 1998.

Nature published research findings indicating that use of triclosan-containing antibacterial soaps and other products based on triclosan could cause development of resistance to triclosan. Antibacterial products are a large and hot new market for consumers concerned about infection or contamination. One of the more common antibacterials is triclosan. The findings show that triclosan has a defined site of action in bacteria and that mutant bacteria resistant to triclosan can be selected in the laboratory. This indicates that triclosan is, in a sense, an antibiotic, and what people are doing is spreading around what turns out to be an antibiotic in a healthy household.

There is strong evidence that antibiotics and antibacterials are used unnecessarily. Old -fashioned symptomatic relief can most often substitute for antibiotics for a common cold or flu and that washing carefully, with simple soap and water is the most effective defense against viral and bacterial contamination and infection in the home. These new findings underscore the importance of cautious use of both antibiotics and antibacterial products since they are made up of potent chemicals with strong and sometimes dangerous side effects. One of the most insidious results is the additional selective pressure they create which fosters emergence of antibiotic resistance, leading to the decreased effectiveness of antibiotic therapy.

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