not sure that this is true. Antibiotic resistant bacteria are not necessarily resistant to chemical disinfectants like alcohol, triclosan, listerine and clorox. Reducing the bacterial load on hands, raw vegetables, uncooked meats and the environment in general is a good thing, unless you subscribe to the "farm kids are healthier than city kids because they are less sheltered from bacteria and animal dander" school. Any thoughts on this, MDinana, Blast, scientists and wisemen?

It used to be thought that chemicals that attacked bacteria from multiple fronts would not easily produce resistant bacteria, but that didn't necessarily turn out to be true. This is a 2006 paper but it already mentions triclosan resistant strains. The same metabolic adaptations to disinfectant chemicals can also work against the chemicals in antibiotics in some cases, too.

However, this type of cross-resistance probably evolves much more slowly than the evolutionary pressure of direct exposure to antibiotics produces, so exposure to antibacterial products like soap is probably more of a secondary problem to overuse and misuse of antibiotics themselves.

Switching to virus talk, but along similar lines, the "common wisdom" is that Norovirus, which causes all those sick cruise ship passengers, is pretty much impervious to alcohol (and therefore, alcohol hand sanitizers) but that's still debated.

You are supposed to eat a peck of dirt before you die, but not a bushel.

I let my kids roll in dirt but I make them wash up before meals.

No offence was taken ... just making an observation .

Bacteria can develop some resistance to alcohol, triclosan, listerine, etc... Each individual bacteria has a different susceptibility to these chemicals, some having higher, some lower. Most people don't follow the directions for using this these cleaners, often just giving a sloppy, quick wipe so the dosage the bugs get can be lower than needed to kill the "strongest" bacteria. These survivors reproduce...

As for needing to be exposed to a bacteria to build up a strong immune system, I firmly believe this to be true. Some studies I've looked at recently tie the higher occurrence of Lupus in females (x9 than males) may be due to girls aren't allowed to play in the dirt as much as boys.
-Blast

Sterilize your water, wash your hands regularly, keep away from rats and people (the usual vector) i.e. places such as restaurants and hospitals, keep fit and healthy and well nourished and if all else fails there is always the catchy great plague song

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse don't usually turn up at the same time they appear sequentially after those that precede them attempt to do their worst. Keep the Grim Reaper away. Don't eat the Salmon Mousse. Try not to be poor (the greatest actuary to premature death).

As children my sisters and I used to play on a huge horse manure tip. We'd roll down it. I'm still alive, at least I think I am.

Intestinal parasites may be useful pets, too: pig parasites for treatment of ms