Chloroxylenol- and triclosan-tolerant bacteria from industrial sources

Potential development of bacterial tolerance to biocides in the industrial environment is examined in this study. Bacteria tolerant to the phenolic-type agent para-chloro-meta-xylenol (PCMX) and the bis-phenol 2,4,4′-trichloro-2′-hydroxydiphenylether (triclosan) were isolated from industrial sources and identified. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined and compared with those of culture collection (standard) strains. Of around 100 isolates originally obtained, most were naturally tolerant species such as Pseudomonas spp., or showed low tolerance levels. PCMX-tolerant isolates of Pseudomonas stutzeri and triclosan-tolerant isolates of Citrobacter freundii and Acinetobacter johnsonii were retained for further study. Of these, only P. stutzeri and A. johnsonii showed elevated tolerance compared with the standard strains. There was no evidence of tolerance to the other biocide except for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (an intrinsically tolerant microorganism), and tolerances were stable in the absence of selective pressure except for A. johnsonii. Attempts to select or generate increased tolerance in the standard strains were unsuccessful. High tolerances in terms of MIC were not reflected in terms of lethal effects. This study did not produce any evidence suggesting that the presence of residual biocide concentrations in the industrial environment promotes the emergence of bacterial tolerance for them. Received 01 February 2002/ Accepted in revised form 09 August 2002