Our superbug problem is about to get much worse
ELLIE KINCAID
BusinessInsider.com
Apr. 2,2015
The possibility that superbugs — bacteria that can’t be killed by our best antimicrobials — might become widespread is a terrifying doomsday scenario. In such a future, driven by our extreme overuse of antibiotics, we’d effectively return to the dark ages when people routinely died of bacterial infections.
Over-prescription of antibiotics to human patients contributes to the development of resistant bacteria, but in the United States about 80% of total antimicrobial use goes toward raising animals for food. The Food and Drug Administration recognizes the threat this poses to human health and has encouraged farmers — who use antibiotics routinely, not just when animals are sick — to curb their use.
The problem isn’t just in the US, though. It’s global in scale — and according to a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, it’s about to get much worse.
The Rest…HERE
