Dissertation Defense Public Seminar: Assessing the toxicity of antimicrobial compounds chloroxylenol and benzethonium chloride in developing zebrafish

Presented by Wuttiporn Rerkamnuaychoke
PhD Candidate, Zilber College of Public Health

Chloroxylenol (CHX) and benzethonium chloride (BEC) are two replacement antimicrobial compounds being used after the ban of triclosan and triclocarban by the Food and Drug Administration in 2016. These two replacement compounds are recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as disinfectants for use against COVID-19, especially in hospital settings. This has led to a recent and extensive use of these two compounds resulting in the potential for increased exposure to human populations in various regions of the world as well as to aquatic ecosystems. Here, the consequences of CHX and BEC exposure on neuronal and neural crest cell development in the zebrafish model (Danio rerio) will be presented. My results show that CHX exposure can dramatically impact neuronal development. In contrast, both CHX and BEC can alter neural crest cell development.