Microbiomes are affected by disinfectants and sanitizers. Excessive use can reduce the density of 'friendly microbes' in biotic and abiotic ecosystems. The dilemma is: in fighting against one, we might be losing several that defend! Because of the complexity of the situation, do our tools allow us to conduct studies on these aspects in order to forecast or predict about the newer threats?
You are right, Amita. The problem is compounded by large scale and indiscriminate use of antibiotics, not only for treatment of human and animal diseases, but also in animal food production system. The tools for emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance/resistome analysis are available and can make some predictions as well. I think, you would agree with me.
i do work in the personal care field as a microbiome specialist since my promotion. What we see is indeed an increase of sanitizer use among the population, but a simultaneous increase of hand Creams use. Even in cosmetic, the trend is microbiome/healthy skin microbiote/relationship of dysbiotic skin microbiota and skin diseases. So many industries target to develop/produce creams, which include Prebiotics (e.g. b-glucan), as moisturizing agent and as a prebiotic, helping to maintain the microbiota (similar approach in intestinal microbiota field). In my opinion, the not over-excessive use of desinfection agents will have little or short-time impact. Even i worked in a L2 Lab, i was using far more sanitizers on daily basis and over years, and rarely my hands were dry, since i used hand creams. What about you? Best
Yes, I agree with you, Sophie. I do not have any skin problems due to my lab work, unlike some of my colleagues doing surgical operations for several years did developed. Prebiotics, probiotics or synbiotics are promising correctives for dysbiosis, with evidence existing. But I see the scale of the problem much larger than mere personal hygiene and sanitation in events such as 'panic use of sprays of sodium hypochlorite on people & premises alike', clinics and hospital premises, entire campuses, hotels, trains, buses, aeroplanes, or to name anything! And it is going to go for next few weeks around the world. I wonder whether the 'hygiene hypothesis' is being tested on public by default, waiting for the outcome in near future. Hopefully, we will have immunobiotics and other biogenics to take care of our microbiomes. And impact of these practices on microbial communities in soil, water, sewerage plants, lakes, rivers, in addition to human and animals would be measurable by 'metagenomics' and other modern biology approaches.
Hi Ankit. It is a very timely and interesting query about alcohol-based hand sanitizers! I will try to present my views (with support of the scientific reports) as follows:
It is well established (and WHO and national agencies recommend) that alcohol-based sanitizers are effective to kill a large number of vegetative bacteria and enveloped viruses. Some exceptions include bacterial spores and alcohol tolerant mycobacterial spp. Most notably, alcohol resistance (resistance to 70% ethanol/isopropanol in hand disinfectants/sanitizers in healthcare premises) in Enterococcus faecium- a nosocomial pathogen and its vancomycin resistant strains (as superbugs) has recently been reported. Moreover, oral and intestinal microbiomes are adversely affected (leading to 'dysbiosis' and diseases) by use of several antimicrobials in household cleaning practices and in alcohol consumers. There are several scientific reports that address these issues worldwide (a few selected articles attached herewith). In this scenario, it is difficult to differentiate between 'a clean place' and 'a hygienic place'!
Secondly, in continuation of my discussion in earlier answers in this series, it is not only a concern of emergence of resistance/tolerance to antimicrobials/ disinfectants/sanitizers/cosmetics, but also the unpredictable impact of wiping of several microbiota in various ecological niches. Our tools and the times to come would reveal that!
I never used hand sanitizers until covid outbreak (or any antibacterial wipes or soaps at home), but now use it when needed- throughout the day. Pretty much everyone world wide (whoever has access to it) is using hand sanitizer many times during the day, over the last two months. I have the same question as you- what will happen to our microbiomes. Taking into account that we are talking about the "outside", and primarily just hands- I hope negative effect will be minimal, but it is supposed to help with coronavirus control. Cleaning hands and surfaces also helps "mentally"- which is extremely important in these stressful times
You are absolutely right. We cannot deny the prevailing wisdom of (excessive) use of sanitizers and disinfectants for hands and places, for both practical and psychological cleansing/keeping ourselves away from COVID-19. Certainly, we are made to win over the pandemic with current knowledge and practices, and would evolve to be prepared for a better fight against any such in future.
Hi Brijesh,
Your first question is difficult to answer in the absence of strong body of evidence. There are few studies to support that contention or you can say it is beginning of the problem being unveiled. It is certainly alarming. Once established, you would be in a position to use that information for specific microbial enrichment. However, if you look the problem from a different perspective, you would agree that persistent use of these products could lead to dysbiosis by eliminating certain vegetative forms (& sparing sporulating forms, mycobacteria, etc.) in the gut, skin or other microbial communities. Dysbiosis is associated with infectious and non-infectious diseases.
Your second question is certainly under investigation: xenobiotics, depending on the chemical nature, can be degraded/metabolised by microbes in the microbiomes or can lead to resistance (e.g., antibiotics). For details, please go through the following articles:
i) ILAR Journal, 2015, Vol. 56, No. 2, 218–227 doi: 10.1093/ilar/ilv018
ii) mSystems 5:e00124-20. https:// doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00124-20
The third question is about the impact of gut microbiomes on nervous system. Again, it is a beginning and let us see what comes out. I would recommend one recent article addressing this subject:
i). Science 366 (6465), eaar2016. http://dx.doi. org/10.1126/ science.aar2016.
Excessive use of antiseptics undoubtedly has negative effects on the flora of bacteria present in the human body.
Dear Janet, Ajit Roy, Mila Illieva and others,
I think we all share our concern over this problem and want to draw the attention of the scientific community to address this issue of the likelihood of changing microbiomes due to prolonged, indiscriminate and excessive use of antibiotics, disinfectants, and sanitizers.
I have come across one recent pilot study which reports for the first time gut dysbiosis in COVID-19 patients {Zuo, T. et al. Gastroenterology (2020). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2020.05.048 ]. The authors have not denied the possibility of disturbance of normal baseline microbiomes in COVID-19 patients prior to their hospitalization due to indiscriminate use of antibiotics!--- may be more---
You may also like to see: Ajit Singh. Covid-19: disinfectants and sanitisers are changing microbiomes . BMJ 2020;370:m2795 ;http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m2795 Published: 14 July 2020]
Cite
2 Recommendations
Zena M. Al Hindawi
University of Kerbala
Follow
Cite
Solaiman Elsheikh
Benha University
very interesting
Cite
Lamia Mustafa Al-Naama
University of Basrah
Very Interesting query looking foreword to see more valuable comments
Cite
2 Recommendations
Anmar Aldewachi
University of Mosul
Good question,follow
Cite
1 Recommendation
Vikas Yadav
Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology Jammu
@Janet Lane The kitchen sink may represent a mixing vessel and evolution foci in itself, although it is plausible that the input is from selective individuals of family, whereas the open domains of roads and public places (contact points) may represent may represent more diversified input of microbes, thus enabling more permutation and combinations in public hotspots...
Cite
1 Recommendation
Ajit Singh
Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences
True
Cite
Mudassir Khan
National University of Sciences and Technology
Agree with Dr. Isam Alkhalifawi " Excessive use of antiseptics undoubtedly has negative effects on the flora of bacteria present in the human body "
Cite
Rajiv ..
Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture & Technology
Agreed with Vikas Yadav.
Cite
2 Recommendations
Sreethu Nair
Dr.D.Y.Patil University
Maybe this impact on the microbiome is also one of the reasons for the increase in cases day by day. Gut microbiota has an effect on pulmonary health through cross-talk between the gut microbiota and the lungs called the “gut-lung axis”. This effect of Sanitizers and disinfectants on gut microbiomes is making us more vulnerable to COVID-19.
Cite
2 Recommendations
Ajit Singh
Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences
Hi Shreethu Nair,
I agree that gut microbiota influence pulmonary health via 'gut-lung axis' [An interesting article for further details: [Zheng D et al. Cell Research (2020) 30:492–506]. We can speculate on that aspect applicable to COVID-19, but it needs to be investigated to create scientific evidence. Let us wait until it is reported.
Cite
1 Recommendation
Chinaza Godswill Awuchi
University of Central Lancashire
As the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic posed a huge challenge to global public health, emphasis on personal hygiene caused extraordinary daily use of detergents and household cleaning products. Since antibacterial cleaning products have the capacity to change the environmental microbiome, increased exposure to household disinfectants could be associated with alterations in human microbiota composition and function. Moreover, the emerging links between household cleaning products and occurrence of non-communicable diseases and antibiotic resistance may involve the gut microbiome. The mediating effects of disturbed gut microbiota on associations between home use of cleaning products and life-long health consequences have been documented in some observational studies. Regarding the evidence associated reduction in exposure to non-pathogenic commensal bacteria and gut dysbiosis, further study is required to assess the effect of massive use of cleaning products during COVID-19 pandemic on long-term host health mediated by the altered microbiota. In this context, recommendations to consume probiotics and fermented foods might reverse the consequences by alleviating dysbiosis.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7332307/
Cite
Chinaza Godswill Awuchi
University of Central Lancashire
A more alarming issue in coronavirus outbreak is the emphasis on cleanliness and consequent extraordinary daily use of detergents, antiseptics and other cleaning products in the home which could cause dramatic decrease in microbial load on household surfaces. The notable issue in this regard is that frequent use of domestic detergents has the capacity to alter the environmental microbiome. Indeed, cleaning products could not discriminate between useful and harmful bacteria. Moreover, studies have been shown that minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of anti-microbial agents can induce horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes between our resident bacteria. According to the ‘Hygiene Hypothesis’ although sanitization, urban living and access to antibiotics keep us safe from infectious disease, reduction in exposure to non-pathogenic commensal strains could play a substantial role in the increasing prevalence of allergic diseases. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7332307/
Cite
Chinaza Godswill Awuchi
University of Central Lancashire
As an underlying mechanism it should be noted that cleaning products contain some chemicals that have been linked to gut dysbiosis. Triclosan, 5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol, as one of these chemicals is an antibacterial compound in soaps, detergents and hand sanitizers which can be absorbed through the skin. In these coronavirus pandemic days, exposure to triclosan has been increasing exponentially with raising in detergent use. Triclosan exposure has a profound impact on gut microbiome by inducing perturbations at both compositional and functional levels. Considering that healthy gut microbiome plays an essential role in the body’s immune response to infection and in maintaining overall health, triclosan exposure may be linked to the adverse effects including endocrine disorders, antibiotic resistance, colonic inflammation and tumorigenesis. Besides triclosan exposure during early life may also cause disturbances in metabolism and gut microbiota which last a lifetime and accumulated over time. Previous studies indicated the links between household cleaning products and childhood overweight. In the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) birth cohort, it has been shown that more frequent home use of disinfectants was associated with increase in abundance of Lachnospiraceae in infant gut microbiota. Relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae was the mediating factor for childhood overweight and obesity. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7332307/
Cite
2 Recommendations
Sonia Morya
Lovely Professional University
Killing off potentially beneficial bacteria, hand sanitizers could also contribute to antibiotic resistance. Even though they generally do not contain standard antibiotics, when microbes become resistant to some of the sanitizers this can make it easier for them to be resistant to more important antibiotics.
Cite
6 Recommendations
Chinaza Godswill Awuchi
University of Central Lancashire
The overuse of sanitizers and disinfectants will definitely have impact, most of which have not been sufficiently studied
Cite
Atul Munish Chander
NASA-JPL (California Institute of Technology)
Already humans are consuming alcohols in heavy amounts, it was never proved LIFE-threatening as said.
Since alcohols are not causing any drug resistance in microbes. If it might be killing good bacteria on skin, the equal are chances for the pathogens. If relevant, sensitisers might have minimal impacts in relation to dysbiosis and health Becz the role of dysbiosis itself is in question yet in relation to human health.
Cite
1 Recommendation
Similar questions and discussions
What are your fears about Usage of alcohol antiseptic sanitizers during COVID-19 pandemic and drug resistant bacteria?
Question
7 answers
- Shimelis Teshome Ayalneh
Use of alcohol antiseptic sanitizers during COVID-19 pandemic and fear of drug resistance bacteria.
What best practices should one follow when protesting during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Question
8 answers
- John Beverley
In the context of this question, I'm not interested in debating the legitimacy, efficacy, or motivation for protesting in the present climate. Assume the protester intends to participate in some public group protest (that is, put aside protesting from home, e.g. boycotting online shopping, writing to policy makers, etc. for this question). I'm interested in best practices the protester can follow to keep themselves and others as safe as they can given these conditions. Some obvious examples: wear a mask, practice social distancing as much as possible, don't attend if you're exhibiting symptoms, etc. Perhaps less obvious examples: Bring extra masks, distribute sanitizer, etc.
Concerns regarding use of sanitizers
Discussion
19 replies
- Mousumi Basu
During this COVID 19 pandemic different hand sanitizers , surface sanitizers are being used profusely to protect ourselves. These sanitizers contain ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, hydrogen peroxide and other disinfectants. While using sanitizers generate aerosols or micro aerosols which are respirable. This may become a matter of health concern in long term. In this context we can at least try to wash our hands with soap and water whenever possible instead of using hand sanitizer thereby lowering the risk of inhaling chemicals.
Covid-19 consumer behavioral changes
Discussion
Be the first to reply
- Omar El Fata
Hello everyone,
The corona virus pandemic has impacted the world in an unprecedented way. There is a lot of hysteria and misinformation circulating, which is arguably more dangerous than the virus itself. I would like to hear from the community in how you think the virus will impact people's behavior post-pandemic.
I can start the subject by pointing out that there is a severe lack in infection prevention & control infrastructure (more advanced than hand sanitizers). Our world is highly globalized, and there is not much you can do to slow or limit the flow/gathering of people. You also cannot depend on vaccines for every new virus out there, as it takes far too long to roll out as we can easily see with the current outbreak. There needs to be passive sanitization solutions in place that can protect people, and I strongly believe that consumers will be looking for these solutions before say going to a restaurant or use a particular airline or go shopping in a supermarket.
How do you see consumer's behavior changing?
Are there any passive sanitization solutions under development to address these changes?
Thanks,
Omar
Are disinfection / sanitation tunnels safe and effective in the fight against COVID 19 / Coronavirus?
Question
2 answers
- Sagar More
With coronavirus cases increasing every day, countries are installing various methods to curtail the effect of the virus spread. Disinfection is considered as one of the ways to keep the virus in check. Countries including Turkey, Thailand, China, Vietnam and even some parts of India have installed disinfection tunnels with the aim of keeping the virus away. Please put your views on the below questions.
1. Is it safe?
2. Is it Effective?
3. Is there any long term hazard of disinfection spray like invitation to chronic disease?
4. is it safe for skin and eyes?
5. How poor designs of tunnels in India is making it worst?
your answers and thoughts will help.
please spread awareness and block opportunistic thoughts in these critical times..
Is Dettol disinfectant is effective against covid-19 virus??
Discussion
27 replies
- Khaleel Z. K. Al-Alo
Is Dettol disinfectant is effective against covid-19 virus??
Disinfectants for Use Against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)
Discussion
4 replies
- Salih Hacini
All products on this list meet EPA’s criteria for use against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
List N: Products with Emerging Viral Pathogens AND Human Coronavirus claims for use against SARS-CoV-2
https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2-covid-19
Are chlorin compound and quaternary ammonium compound as a disinfectants kill the COVID-19 coronavirus?
Question
6 answers
- Karima Galal Abdel hameed
Are chlorin compound and quaternary ammonium compound as a disinfectants kill the COVID-19 coronavirus?
Dependence on Government: Do you think we are depending too much on the government to stop this pandemic?
Discussion
36 replies
- Anamitra Roy
Today I see most people around me not wearing the masks, not sanitizing their hands, houses, cars etc. So we are not doing what we should do. Instead we are talking about the vaccine, the government not doing enough, the society being foolish.
Do you think that we are depending on the government too much for stopping this pandemic? Researchers and scientists, please provide your opinions regarding this matter.
Related Publications
Facile on-site quality monitoring of alcohol based hand sanitizers by phase separation and color development with butyl acetate-crystal violet mixture
Article
- S. Thangavel
- A. Durgaprasad
- Kulamani Dash
- Sanjiv Kumar
Amidst the unprecedented demand for alcohol based hand sanitizers in the wake of the continuing onslaught of COVID-19 pandemic, a simple and rapid method for identifying spurious or non-conforming products is the need of the hour. Accordingly, a visual colorimetric method for the detection of methanol based hand sanitizers and also for the semi-qua...
Knowledge and Practices of Disinfectants and Sanitizers Use during COVID-19 Pandemic in Jordan
Article
Full-text available
- Sanaa Bardaweel
- Suha Almuhaissen
- Amani A. Abdul-Hadi
- [...]
- Husam R. Musleh
Background: The use of antimicrobials has been expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to assess the knowledge and practices of disinfectants and sanitizers use among Jordanian people during the (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: A web-based cross-sectional descriptive questionnaire was distributed across Jordan between August and Septemb...
Are we all in this together? COVID-19 and the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation
Chapter
Full-text available
- Farhana Sultana
- Alex Loftus
The Covid-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of the rights to water and sanitation. This is true in both the global North and global South, where water insecurities, cut-offs, unaffordability and inaccessibility undermine the ability of communities to deal with the pandemic. The realization of economic and social rights such as the rights t...
Got a technical question?
Get high-quality answers from experts.
Top contributors to discussions in this field
Yuan-Yeu Yau
Carsten Weerth
Ljubomir Jacić
Christian G Meyer
Craig Carlton Dremann
Join ResearchGate to find the people and research you need to help your work
- 25+ million members
- 160+ million publication pages
- 2.3+ billion citations
or
- Join for free
- LoginEmail Tip: Most researchers use their institutional email address as their ResearchGate login
PasswordForgot password?
Keep me logged inor
Continue with Google
Welcome back! Please log in.
Email · HintTip: Most researchers use their institutional email address as their ResearchGate login
PasswordForgot password?
Keep me logged in
or
Continue with Google
No account? Sign up