In this age of health and hygiene, anti-bacterial products, ranging from handwashing fluids and detergents to plastics, are increasingly being relied upon to protect themselves from bacteria and are even expected to be effective against super-bacterials, and all anti-bacterial products are considered to be equally effective. However, this is a serious area of error that requires us to re-examine the true relationship between anti-bacterial products and superb bacteria.
Superbacteria, not specifically a bacteria, but in general bacteria that are resistant to various antibiotics. Their emergence is largely due to overuse and abuse of antibiotics, which allow bacteria to evolve under strong survival pressure and develop antibiotic defence mechanisms, thus making it difficult to be eliminated by conventional antibacterial means.
The range of antibacterial products varies, as does their operation. It is common to have a hand-washing fluid that contains alcohol, which has the effect of bactericide by destroying the cell membrane of bacteria, and a number of cleaners that have been added to antibacterial agents, such as trichlorfon, Qemmonium salt compounds, which interfere with the metabolic process of bacteria or damage the cell wall of bacteria to inhibit bacteria. However, these modes of action may have had little effect on superb bacteria. Super bacteria already have sophisticated resistance mechanisms, and their cell wall structure may change, making antibacterials difficult to penetrate; or their internal metabolic pathways have evolved to bypass antibacterial interference.
Different antibacterial products have different antibacterial spectra, i.e. the range of bacteria that can be effectively suppressed or eliminated is limited. Some antibacterial products may have better inhibitive effects on common coli and yellow grapes, but most common antibacterial products, such as methoxysilin and yellow grapes (MRSA) and VRE, are almost powerless. Moreover, even antibacterial products developed specifically for drug-resistant bacteria may have different effects depending on the type of bacteria, differences in strains and the environment in which they are used.
In addition, over-reliance on antibacterial products to counter superbacterials can have negative consequences. On the one hand, the frequent use of antibacterial products undermines the ecological balance of microorganisms in the surrounding environment. Many beneficial micro-organisms play an important role in maintaining human health and ecological stability, and overuse of anti-bacterial products can lead to a reduction of beneficial bacteria and instead create more space for drug-resistant bacteria. On the other hand, the irrational use of antibacterial products accelerates the evolution and spread of superb bacteria. When bacteria are exposed to low-dose antibacterial substances on a continuous basis, genetic mutations are more likely to occur, resulting in greater resistance to drugs, which exacerbates already intractable superbacterial problems.
We should understand that antibacterial products cannot be considered as a powerful weapon against superb bacteria in general terms. The maintenance of good personal hygiene practices in daily life, such as hand-washing and reasonable cleaning of the home environment, remains an important measure to prevent bacterial infections. However, for the use of antibacterial products, rational choice should be made to avoid the blind belief in its equivalent effect on superb bacteria. At the same time, specialized places such as medical institutions should strictly follow the rules for the use of anti-bacterial drugs and anti-bacterial products and monitor and control the spread of superbacterials by scientific means so that we can find a more rational and effective response in this “permanent battle” with bacteria, rather than relying on antibacterial products that are exaggerated to solve the challenges posed by superbacterials and to create a healthy, safe living and medical environment.
