Antiseptics and Disinfectants: Activity, Action, and Resistance

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Clinical Microbiology Reviews, January 1999, p. 147-179, Vol. 12, No. 1
0893-8512/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Antiseptics and Disinfectants: Activity, Action, and Resistance

Gerald McDonnell¹^,^* and A. Denver Russell²

STERIS Corporation, St. Louis Operations, St. Louis, Missouri 63166,¹ and Welsh School of Pharmacy, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF1 3XF, United Kingdom²

Antiseptics and disinfectants are extensively used in hospitals and other health care settings for a variety of topical andhard-surface applications. A wide variety of active chemical agents(biocides) are found in these products, many of which have beenused for hundreds of years, including alcohols, phenols, iodine,and chlorine. Most of these active agents demonstrate broad-spectrumantimicrobial activity; however, little is known about the modeof action of these agents in comparison to antibiotics. This reviewconsiders what is known about the mode of action and spectrumof activity of antiseptics and disinfectants. The widespread useof these products has prompted some speculation on the developmentof microbial resistance, in particular whether antibiotic resistanceis induced by antiseptics or disinfectants. Known mechanisms ofmicrobial resistance (both intrinsic and acquired) to biocidesare reviewed, with emphasis on the clinical implications of thesereports.

^* Corresponding author. Present address: STERIS Corporation, 5960 Heisley Rd., Mentor, OH 44060. Phone: (440) 354-2600. Fax:(440) 354-7038. E-mail: gerry_mcdonnell{at}steris.com.

Clinical Microbiology Reviews, January 1999, p. 147-179, Vol. 12, No. 1
0893-8512/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

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