US EPA

1973503 

Journal Article 

Disinfectant resistance mechanisms, cross-resistance, and co-resistance 

Chapman, JS 

2003 

1 

International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation
ISSN: 0964-8305
EISSN: 1879-0208 

51 

4 

271-276 

English 

10.1016/S0964-8305(03)00044-1 

WOS:000183480800008 

http://://WOS:000183480800008
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Six major classes of disinfectants and sanitizers are
iodophors, quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC), peroxides, phenols, chlorine, and glutaraldehyde.
Bacterial resistance to each of these classes has been reported in literature, and anecdotal
reports within the biocide industry are common. Resistance to disinfectants and sanitizers can
have significant impact on human health as well as serious economic consequences. The mechanisms
associated with resistance have received uneven attention; in the case of resistance to QAC
disinfectants and peroxides our knowledge extends to the genetic level while for the other
classes the literature consists of largely phenomenological descriptions of its occurrence. Even
less is known about the frequency with which resistance develops and the impact of environmental
factors on resistance development. Amongst environmental factors the role of biofilms is of
interest particularly as they relate to the exposure of bacteria to sublethal concentrations of
disinfectant. In industrial systems the selective pressure from preservative usage has been
postulated to play a role in disinfectant resistance development through mechanisms of cross-
resistance; some isothiazolone and formaldehyde resistant bacteria are cross-resistant to QAC
and/or peroxide disinfectants. Mechanism-based cross-resistance of disinfectant-resistant
bacteria to antibiotics is of great interest recently, but remains a ripe area for systematic
investigation. Co-resistance of disinfectant-resistant bacteria to antibiotics occurs as a result
of QAC resistance genes being located on transmissible plasmids and within conserved regions of
integrons, each of which has been shown to carry multiple antibiotic resistance genes. (C) 2003
Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. 

disinfectants; biocides; mechanism of action; resistance; tolerance