BIOCIDE RESISTANCE: IS IT OFFERING MORE POTENCY TO THE SUPERBUGS ?

The use of biocide chemicals is crucial for the elimination of microbial species required to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and ensure the safeguarding of animal and human health. Like antimicrobial drug resistance (AMR), anti-biocide resistance (ABR) may be a serious threat to healthcare, agriculture, animal husbandry, pisciculture as well as pharmaceutical and many other industries. Pathways of functioning of the antimicrobial drugs and biocides are alike in many cases, and among the patterns of resistance development in the microbes, such similarities are also found. Reaching such multidrug and multi-biocide resistant microbes in the water bodies and other sectors of the environment may also cause serious effects on ecology, the environment, and the entire biosphere. Framing of strict legislative measures is required for the rational use of biocides by considering their spectrum of activity, effective concentration in different conditions, residue calculation, and after-use destruction. This review aims to explore the use, detection, and regulation of biocidal agents across different contexts, highlighting their application that can contribute to the concurrent development of biocidal resistance and overall antimicrobial resistance among microorganisms.