If you were concerned about old-school antibiotics losing their ability to fight infections, no doubt, you'll be alarmed to discover that ordinary disinfectants may be making one specific bacterium impervious to a common antibiotic in addition to the chemicals used to get rid of them.
When Irish researchers exposed Pseudomonas aeruginosa to greater amounts of disinfectants in the lab, thanks to a DNA mutation, the bacterium adapted to survive exposure not only to these chemicals but the often prescribed ciproflaxcin.
Even worse, when the DNA-altered bacterium was exposed to very tiny amounts of disinfectant, it was more likely to survive. And, researchers worry that environmental factors may promote resistance to antibiotics too.
The huge problem: P. aeruginosa is considered an "opportunistic" bacterium, meaning it may ignite a great range of infections among patients with weak immune systems, such as those with diabetes and cystic fibrosis.
Microbiology, Vol. 156, No. 1, pp. 30-38, January 2010
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Image source: Dr. Lucille George, CDC