Microbes Fight Back: Antibiotic Resistance

Although scientists continue to play a crucial role in the continuing battle against antibiotic resistance, a return to a pre-antibiotic era is a distinct possibility. This book draws much-needed attention to current levels of antibiotic resistance and the lack of new antibiotic drugs coming to market. The fascinating history of antibiotic discovery, how antibiotics are made now, and how bacteria manage to mutate and develop resistance to our medicines are explained in terms non-specialists can follow. The book also describes the alarming ease with which antibiotic resistance spreads within bacterial communities. How have human activities contributed to antibiotic resistance? What will a future where resistance continues to increase look like and how will we cope with the ‘superbugs’? Laura Bowater engages readers with these questions, raising awareness of an important global challenge for humanity.