E-Books →Antiseptic Stewardship Biocide Resistance and Clinical Implications

Various biocidal active substances and antiseptic agents are used for disinfection and antisepsis in healthcare, veterinary medicine, animal production and household products. However, not all of them provide significant health benefits, especially for some products used in human medicine. Antimicrobial soaps, surface disinfectants, instrument disinfectants and wound antiseptics may contain one or more biocidal active ingredients with comparable antimicrobial efficacy, but with large differences in their potential for microbial adaptation and tolerance. Increased bacterial tolerance has been described for several biocidal active substances and antiseptics, sometimes including cross-resistance to antibiotics. The book is therefore intended to help reduce unnecessary selection pressure on emerging pathogens, including by describing non-biocidal alternatives for specific antimicrobial applications, with the aim of retaining the powerful biocidal agents and antiseptics for those applications where there is a clear health benefit (e.g. reduction of healthcare-associated infections).
The book addresses healthcare, industrial and veterinary professionals as well as educated laypersons interested in efficient and controlled disinfection strategies.