The Role of Triclosan in the Development of Super Germs
Super germs have emerged as a possible new threat to global health as a whole. While research is still being performed with the hopes of obtaining conclusive results, many scientists report the possible use of consumer products meant to kill germs in creating a resistant strain of super germs.
There are literally thousands of anti-bacterial substances on the market today. These substances were created in the mindset of good hygiene and the importance of using hygiene as a tool against the spread of disease. Soaps, detergents and instant sanitizing hand gels are some examples of the many health conscious products available that contain bacterial killing properties. The main ingredient in these types of health products is triclosan. While these products may serve to kill a large percentage of bacteria that may cause or transmit diseases, their extended worldwide use has had an unintended consequence. By increasing the amount of contact different strains of bacteria have with these agents through their continual worldwide use, the bacteria are becoming predisposed to these agents. This means that the bacteria can then evolve to become resistant to these agents and reproduce new strains of drug resistance bacteria.
The major problem with this alteration of bacteria is that the antibiotic agents found in these commercial products contain the same ingredients as agents used in medical fields as disease defense. This means that patients who may be suffering from life threatening conditions may not respond to traditional and proven medications. These drug resistant germs then have the advantage over their non-resistant counterparts, and will proliferate extremely quickly. It is this form of drug resistant super germs that have become a major worry for disease control specialists. Extremely large amounts of people may now possess no defense against invading germs, and medical research and treatments may not be able to effectively treat such patients.
There have been several studies performed in which triclosan use has created resistant strains of bacteria in laboratory testing. Triclosan may also have other unintended side effects, such as altering the body’s naturally occurring microbial communities, leading to the development of more allergies. While further studies are required to fully prove the theory of triclosan’s role in the development of super germs, scientists are well aware of the link between pesticides and the creatures that it is meant to be used against ability to grow resistant to it. This theory also holds true for antibiotic medications and bacteria in general.
Proper hygiene, especially hand washing, has been proven to help reduce the risk and spread of disease. Many studies show that standard soap and warm water have the same effectiveness as the potent chemical of triclosan. This means that the everyday use of triclosan in homes in gross overkill. Triclosan has also not been shown to be any more effective in the prevention of infection when used in the home than standard hygiene. Both common household soap and triclosan products kill both good and bad germs on the skin. The human body will quickly replenish these good germs from other sources in the body regardless of the product used.
The major problem with the widespread availability of products containing triclosan is their indiscriminant use. Most consumers improperly assume that these products offer the best health benefits and are unaware of their potential side effect of creating drug resistant germs. The best bet for attempting to avoid a worldwide spread of drug resistant germs is to limit the indiscriminate use of triclosan products, and to educate people on the potential negative effects of these products. Using these methods, disease control scientists may be able to stem the unregulated growth of drug resistant bacteria before they create a worldwide epidemic.