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Bacteria can develop resistance to antibiotics through the incorrect use of a widely used disinfectant, new research suggests.

It’s well-known that the widespread use of antibiotics is believed to be making bacteria more resistant to certain drugs. In the new study, researchers sought to determine if a disinfectant could have a similar effect on a bacterial strain called Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This is a nasty little bacterium which can cause disease in people with compromised immune systems and is a significant cause of hospital-acquired infections.

The disinfectant, known as benzalkonium chloride, is used in a variety of skin cleansers, household cleaners and sanitizer products. Study co-author Gerard T.A. Fleming, a scientist at the National University of Ireland in Galway said. “It is seen as a good disinfectant in that it generally does not harm if it comes into contact with skin,” he explained.

In the laboratory, researchers added low levels of the disinfectant to a solution that included the bacteria.  The researchers found that the bacteria changed and became resistant to a potent antibiotic known as ciprofloxacin after being exposed to the disinfectant.

The bacteria also became resistant to the disinfectant.

The study took place in the laboratory, not in a home or a hospital, where the germ in question is most likely to cause problems. However, the findings indicate that people should use disinfectants at the correct level and “not be tempted to dilute them down so that they go further in an attempt to save money,” Fleming said. “Disinfectants work at the concentration stated on the bottle, but if they are diluted to a level where microorganisms can evolve, resistance can build up.”

Also, it’s important to give disinfectants time to work, he noted.

“I am concerned that if we do not use disinfectants properly in the home, that we might be affording microorganisms the opportunity of building up resistance to disinfectants and antibiotics,” Fleming said.

“To put it simply, disinfectants are our first line of defense against harmful germs,” Fleming added. “Antibiotics are our second line of defense in case of infection. Our study has shown that it is possible to corrupt the first and second line of defense. What then are we left with?”

The findings are published in the January issue of the journal Microbiology.

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