antibiotic resistance

Horror movies graphically reveal the ravages of killer plagues and flesh-eating bacteria, but behind this Hollywood hype is a story of real immanent danger. Antibiotic resistant strains of staph and strep are putting the lives and health of people at risk. When first discovered, about 75 years ago, antibiotics were touted as a miracle cure, which they literally were. Infections that were fatal before the turn of the century were turned into mere inconveniences over the …showed first 75 words of 1544 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1544 total…or have family members who are still alive because an antibiotic conquered an infectious disease that otherwise would have killed the individual. If we want to retain this medical luxury in our society we must be vigilant and proactive: we must fully understand how and why antimicrobial agents work and why they don’t work and realize that we must maintain a stride ahead of microbial pathogens that can only be contained by antibiotic chemotherapy.