Opening of decontamination solutions and, as a consequence, the development of antisepsis has allowed dozens of times to reduce the development of nosocomial and of postoperative complications and to reduce the content of microbes in the premises as a whole. Medical and household antiseptics, as a rule, are based on solutions of alcohols and, according to new research, bacteria has learned to fight these substances.
Most often in antisepticescoy solutions are ethanol and isopropanol. The advantage of alcohols is that they are indiscriminate (as opposed to those same antibiotics) and “indiscriminately” destroy all bacteria, causing destruction of the cell wall. Moreover, in this case, the undeniable advantage is that the spirits can destroy even those bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. At least, as previously thought.
A group of researchers from the University of Melbourne, studying resistant to the action of vancomycin (very strong antibiotic) Enterococcus strain, found that some bacteria have another ability: they did not react to the use of antiseptic alcohol-based. According to the publication Science Translational Medicine, a team of researchers under the leadership of Timothy Steiner examined 139 samples of bacteria obtained from patients to Melbourne hospitals between 1997 and 2015. These bacteria were examined for resistance to alcohols. The authors then highlighted some of the strains and sprayed their cages for rodents. After that, cells are wiped down with antiseptics alcohol and ran to the mice. After a week of animals from the stomach has been able to identify the enterococci strains of the same that had been sprayed cells.
“Research shows that we found not just a laboratory phenomenon. We have proved that the new feature of bacteria is implemented in real life and allows them to survive in the course of standardized procedures for disinfection. This means that it is extremely important to develop new methods of treatment.”
The bacteria started to gain resistance to the most common antiseptics
Vladimir Kuznetsov