Science Biweekly

BETHESDA, MD. A few months ago we explored the topic of antibiotic resistance in some depth. The media has continued to stress our imminent doom that would accompany a post-antibiotic era. However, an additional threat has been on the horizon for some time: antiseptic resistant bacteria.

Antiseptics are different than antibiotics as antiseptics are able to target a wide variety of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, eukaryotic organisms) and they kill or inhibit the growth of an organism within 30 seconds to 1 minute of topical application. In contrast, antibiotics are narrow spectrum (targetin...