Alcohol-based hand sanitizers might not be effective in resisting superbugs

If this is true, then it is an alarming situation which could give rise to infection and other malaises

Debjani Arora | Published: August 2, 2018 5:46 pm

According to an Australian study, some hospital superbugs are growing increasingly tolerant to alcohol-based disinfectants found in hand washes and sanitisers. This is allowing infections to take hold in patients and people with low immunity.

Isopropyl or ethyl alcohol-based hand rubs and washes are widely used around the world and have cut down dramatically on one type of superbug, called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). But researchers have noticed a rise in another kind of bacteria that lives in the gut, called Enterococcus faecium, and can be spread via catheters, ventilators or central lines in a healthcare setting.

Researchers found that drug-resistant E. faecium infections have increased despite the use of alcohol disinfectants and currently are responsible for a leading cause of infections acquired in hospitals said the report in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Enterococci account for about one in 10 cases of hospital-acquired bacterial infections around the world and are the fourth and fifth leading cause of sepsis in North America and Europe, respectively, according to background information in the article. E. faecium, in particular, is believed to cause one-third of enterococcal infections in Australia, 90% of which are resistant to the antibiotic ampicillin, and 50% of which are also vancomycin-resistant.

The E. faecium is touted as the tolerant bacteria which mean the bacteria can survive exposure to alcohol longer. The researchers concluded that more study is needed to confirm if these bacteria are also growing resistant to sanitisers in other hospitals worldwide. Researchers aren’t sure why this particular type of bacteria is acting this way, but say it may be something about the physiology of E. faecium that makes it easier for the bacteria to evolve tolerance to alcohol exposure. The findings do not indicate the end of hand sanitisers, but it emphasises that one cannot rely solely on alcohol-based disinfectants to control E. faecium in the hospital or health-care setting.

Image source: Shutterstock

Published: August 2, 2018 5:46 pm

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