Influence of Sub-Inhibitory Concentrations of Sanitizers and Oxacillin on the Resistance of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus spp.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus spp. are microorganisms found in dairy products, bovine mastitis, and human infections. The prevalence of resistant strains from this genus in the food chain is increasing, drawing attention to transmission in the community and highlighting the importance of One Health studies. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the MIC of oxacillin (OXA) and the sanitizers benzalkonium chloride (BAC) and sodium hypochlorite (HP) against isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus spp., and to evaluate the possible influence of sub-MIC application of these compounds on bacterial cells, in order to observe possible microbial resistance. Ten isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus spp. (S. epidermidis and S. chromogenes) were used. Among the sanitizers, BAC showed greater efficiency during the pre-inhibition test. Increased resistance to OXA was found in isolates of S. chromogenes and S. epidermidis after sub-MICs of 50% and 90% of OXA, while sub-inhibition of HP favored resistance to OXA. The application of HP and OXA, even at low concentrations, induced a reduction in biofilm production. This study shows that sub-inhibitory sanitizer exposure in Staphylococcus spp. induces antimicrobial resistance phenotypes linked to mutations in regulatory, mobile, and DNA repair genes. These findings suggest that selective pressure promotes resistant variants through genomic plasticity and regulatory activation, supporting the hypothesis that sanitizer residues may drive multidrug resistance emergence, although further functional validation is required.