Final answer:
Bacterial resistance to antibiotics has developed due to the use of antimicrobials like triclosan in soaps and other products. Triclosan is a phenolic compound found in antibacterial soaps, plastics, and textiles, and it inhibits bacterial fatty-acid synthesis. However, its widespread use has led to the emergence of triclosan-resistant bacterial strains.
Step-by-step explanation:
Bacterial resistance to antibiotics has developed due to the use of antimicrobials (not antibiotics) like triclosan in soaps and other products. Triclosan is a phenolic compound found in antibacterial soaps, plastics, and textiles. It inhibits bacterial fatty-acid synthesis, making it technically an antibiotic. However, its widespread use has led to the emergence of triclosan-resistant bacterial strains. Bacteria can easily gain resistance to triclosan through a change to a single gene in the bacterial fatty acid-synthesis pathway, rendering triclosan useless as an antibacterial in the long run.