Resisting disinfectants

Harrie F G van Dijk; Henri A Verbrugh; Ad hoc advisory committee on disinfectants of the Health Council of the Netherlands

doi:10.1038/s43856-021-00070-8

Resisting disinfectants

Commun Med (Lond). 2022 Jan 11:2:6. doi: 10.1038/s43856-021-00070-8. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Harrie F G van Dijk¹, Henri A Verbrugh²; Ad hoc advisory committee on disinfectants of the Health Council of the Netherlands

Collaborators

Ad hoc advisory committee on disinfectants of the Health Council of the Netherlands:
Tjakko Abee, Jan Willem Andriessen, Harrie F G van Dijk, Benno H Ter Kuile, Dik J Mevius, Mark H M M Montforts, Willem van Schaik, Heike Schmitt, Hauke Smidt, Jan-Willem Veening, Andreas Voss

Affiliations

¹ Health Council of The Netherlands, P/O Box 16052, 2500 BB The Hague, The Netherlands.
² Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Abstract

Although often overlooked, the use of disinfectants can lead to antimicrobial resistance and this may exacerbate resistance to antibiotics. Here, we explain why all antimicrobial agents, including disinfectants, should be used prudently in a way that is guided by evidence.

Keywords: Bacterial infection; Preventive medicine.