Life Sciences Commons^™

The Effect Of Antibacterial Agents Triclosan And N-Alkyl On E. Coli Viability, Heidi Nielsen

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Within a society concerned with the spread of infectious disease, many common cleaning products boast high germ mortality rates. Consumers have learned to trust marketed disinfectants to protect them from disease causing microbes. While "antibacterial'' sells in the consumer pursuit of cleanliness, concerns regarding the overuse of antibacterial agents have recently arisen. Bacteria have the ability to mutate and become resistant to antibiotics. Resistant mutations can result from prolonged or repeated exposure of the bacteria to the antibiotic. Theoretically, the genes that code for resistance negatively affect the bacteria's fitness. It is expected that a change in a gene's normal …