Biocides and health-care agents are more than just antibiotics: Inducing cross to co-resistance in microbes

Abstract

Health-care chemicals are used worldwide as important components of different industries as consumer products, food industry, animal husbandry and agribusiness. There are innumerable reports on the effect of these chemicals (biocides) impacting the development of cross to co-resistance in pathogenic bacteria. However, reports are limited on the concurrent use of agricides (pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and insecticides) which influence the microbial activities in soils and contribute to the increase in incidences of co-resistance. Undoubtedly, indiscriminate use of biocides and agricides has contaminated both water and soil environments. This review describes the onset of cross and co-resistance to biocides and antibiotics which is increasingly being exhibited by specific bacteria under a persistent selective pressure. It also re-examines the significance of mobile genetic platforms and horizontal gene transfer from one to another bacterial species, for understanding the kinetics and efficiency of genetic exchange in stressed environments leading to natural selection of tolerant strains over susceptible ones. The investigation is much warranted, particularly with respect to agricides that commonly occur in recalcitrant states in soil and water ecosystem, livestock, etc and is transmitted either directly or via the food-chain to human beings, facilitating the switch from cross to co-resistance.

Keywords: Agricides; Antibiotics; Biocides; Co-resistance; Cross-resistance; Heavy metals.