Proliferation of Antibacterial Products
Every time we turn around there is a new antibacterial product on the market. Kitchen cleaners, hand cleansers, soap, dishwashing detergent and more. But do these truly solve the problem by eliminating “germs”.
Not long ago, only a few dozen products containing antibacterial agents were being marketed for the home. In 2011, there are thousands are available. Everywhere we turn, a new antibacterial product pops up. Likewise, we hear about "superbugs" and deadly viruses. People are buying these antibacterial products because they think these products offer health protection for them and their families.
What they don’t realize is that people can go too far with the antibacterial products.
In addition to antibacterial window cleaner and antibacterial chopsticks, you can now buy food containers with antibacterial agents. Some companies sell mattresses which are impregnated with an antibacterial agent.
Whole bathrooms and bedrooms can be outfitted with products containing triclosan (a common antibacterial agent), including pillows, sheets, towels, and slippers. So what’s the problem?
Development of Resistance
Bacteria are not about to succumb to this deluge of antibacterial products. Through mutation, some of their progeny emerge with resistance to the antibacterial agent aimed at it, and possibly to other antimicrobial agents as well.
Some researchers have actually found a correlation between too much hygiene and increased allergy.
To get a little technical for a second: to work correctly, the immune system must be stimulated to achieve the right balance between the T-helper 1 (TH-1) cells providing cellular immunity and the TH-2 cells promoting antibody production.
Both “too much hygiene” (in the form of antibacterial soaps, hand washes, etc.) and antibiotics eliminate common bacteria, doing away with some of the good bacteria needed for that immune system balance. Some infants begin to get antibiotics as soon as a few days after birth. They mature in an antibiotic-laden and antibacterial environment. What antigens do they confront daily? What kind of immune response are they developing?
We exist in the bacterial world, not bacteria in ours. Unfortunately, we believe that we can rid ourselves of bacteria when, in fact, we cannot. We should be “making peace" with them. Although we need to control pathogens when they cause disease, we do not have to engage in a full-fledged "war" against the microbial world.
Improved antibiotic use, including shorter treatments and removal of improper usage, will encourage the return of antibiotic-susceptible, commensal flora and return the environment to what it was before the antibiotic/antibacterial onslaught. Smart use of probiotics in personal health, household cleaners and even in your lawn and garden can help reintroduce that good bacteria to your life as well.
To read more about this topic, check out Dr. Stuart B. Levy’s 2000 presentation at the Emerging Infectious Diseases Conference here: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol7no3_supp/levy.htm
Dr. Levy is director of the Center for Adaptation Genetics and Drug Resistance, professor of molecular biology and microbiology, and of medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston.
* photo via flickr/SCA Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget
