The effect of disinfectants and antiseptics on co- and cross-selection of resistance to antibiotics in aquatic environments and wastewater treatment plants

Abstract

The outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic led to increased use of disinfectants and antiseptics (DAs), resulting in higher concentrations of these compounds in wastewaters, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents and receiving water bodies. Their constant presence in water bodies may lead to development and acquisition of resistance against the DAs. In addition, they may also promote antibiotic resistance (AR) due to cross- and co-selection of AR among bacteria that are exposed to the DAs, which is a highly important issue with regards to human and environmental health. This review addresses this issue and provides an overview of DAs structure together with their modes of action against microorganisms. Relevant examples of the most effective treatment techniques to increase the DAs removal efficiency from wastewater are discussed. Moreover, insight on the resistance mechanisms to DAs and the mechanism of DAs enhancement of cross- and co-selection of ARs are presented. Furthermore, this review discusses the impact of DAs on resistance against antibiotics, the occurrence of DAs in aquatic systems, and DA removal mechanisms in WWTPs, which in principle serve as the final barrier before releasing these compounds into the receiving environment. By recognition of important research gaps, research needs to determine the impact of the majority of DAs in WWTPs and the consequences of their presence and spread of antibiotic resistance were identified.

Effect of Treatment with Heated Scallop Shell Powder on the Inactivation of Naturally Existing Bacteria and Listeria monocytogenes Inoculated on Chicken Meat

“…In this study, HSSP treatment effectively inhibited naturally existing bacteria and the inoculated L. monocytogenes in chicken thigh meat during cold storage (~7 days), indicating that HSSP treatment is a valuable meat disinfection method. However, there is growing concern about the accumulation of used antimicrobials and antiseptics in rivers and other sources, the development of drug resistance in environmental microorganisms, and the spread of drug-resistant genes [48][49][50][51]. The heated shell powder, whose main component is CaO, exhibits antimicrobial activity, and it is used to control microorganisms in food and the environment.…”

In Vitro Effect of Eucalyptus Essential Oils and Antiseptics (Chlorhexidine Gluconate and Povidone-Iodine) against Bacterial Isolates from Equine Wounds

“…This reality is not limited to antibiotics, with antiseptics also being implicated. There have been reports of antiseptics like chlorhexidine gluconate that were detected in water and soils close to hospital settings [ 45 ]. The contact of these antiseptics with nature creates exactly the same harmful consequences as antibiotics [ 45 ].…”

Non-Canonical Aspects of Antibiotics and Antibiotic Resistance

“…Wastewater (WW) is a unique mixture that contains antibiotics, biocides, and many other previously listed agents that select/maintain and/or facilitate the acquisition of AR (e.g., Refs. [ 294 , 295 ]), along with pathogenic and commensal bacteria, from humans and animals, many of them carrying AR, virulence, and/or mobility determinants. Of particular concern is the WW of hospitals, where particularly dangerous multi-resistant organisms can be found (e.g., Ref.…”