Quaternary Ammonium Biocides: Efficacy in Application

Abstract

Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are among the most commonly used disinfectants. There has been concern that their widespread use will lead to the development of resistant organisms, and it has been suggested that limits should be place on their use. While increases in tolerance to QACs have been observed, there is no clear evidence to support the development of resistance to QACs. Since efflux pumps are believe to account for at least some of the increased tolerance found in bacteria, there has been concern that this will enhance the resistance of bacteria to certain antibiotics. QACs are membrane-active agents interacting with the cytoplasmic membrane of bacteria and lipids of viruses. The wide variety of chemical structures possible has seen an evolution in their effectiveness and expansion of applications over the last century, including non-lipid-containing viruses (i.e., noroviruses). Selection of formulations and methods of application have been shown to affect the efficacy of QACs. While numerous laboratory studies on the efficacy of QACs are available, relatively few studies have been conducted to assess their efficacy in practice. Better standardized tests for assessing and defining the differences between increases in tolerance versus resistance are needed. The ecological dynamics of microbial communities where QACs are a main line of defense against exposure to pathogens need to be better understood in terms of sublethal doses and antibiotic resistance.

Pentanol and Benzyl Alcohol Attack Bacterial Surface Structures Differently

“…In clinical health issues like treatments of infections, aminoglycosides and quinolones were reported to be effective (3,9), while public health issues have been countered with surfactants and sanitizers, like quaternary ammonium compounds (10). However, we found that Methylobacterium strains isolated from bathrooms were tolerant to various stresses, including surfactants like benzalkonium chloride (BAC) (8,11).…”

Use of a Hand Sanitizing Wipe for Reducing Risk of Viral Illness in the Home

“…Additionally, quaternary ammonium compounds have been used as hard surface sanitizers and disinfectants for more than 70 years. They are particularly effective against a wide range of bacteria and lipidcontaining viruses (Gerba 2015), although they can be formulated to be effective against non-lipid viruses such as norovirus (Gerba 2015).…”

Detection of Antiseptic Resistance Genes among Staphylococcus aureus Colonising Nurses and Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci Isolated from Clinical Specimens at Teaching Hospitals in Southwest of Iran

“…Disinfectants and antiseptics are widely used in hospitals and other health care centers as a type of topical and hard-surface practices. Especially, they are a necessary portion of infection control programs and help prevent nosocomial infections (8,9). The quaternary ammonium compounds (qacs) and small multidrug-resistance (smr) genes are responsible for resistance to antiseptics (10).…”