Development of triclosan and antibiotic resistance in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium.

The possible association between the use of triclosan and the development of antibiotic resistance was examined in triclosan-resistant mutants of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. These mutants were obtained from a sensitive parental strain and from ciprofloxacin-resistant isogenic strains using spontaneous mutagenesis or selection after one short exposure or continuous exposure to low concentrations of triclosan. The results showed that triclosan in the environment does not increase the mutation frequency but selects bacterial strains with reduced antibiotic susceptibility. This property depended on the multiple antibiotic resistance (Mar) phenotype of bacterial strains and on the triclosan concentration.