Antibiotics : What Everyone Needs to Know®

Virtually everyone has taken antibiotics. They can be lifesavers -- or they can be useless. But what are they? How are they used? And what happens as the effectiveness of antibiotics begins to decline?

A STIRRING EXAMINATION OF A LOOMING CRISIS Virtually everyone has taken antibiotics. They can be lifesavers -- or they can be useless. But what are they? How are they used? And what happens as the effectiveness of antibiotics begins to decline? Antibiotics: What Everyone Needs to Know® examines the personal and societal implications of our planet''s most important -- and arguably most overused -- medications. In a question-and-answer format, it unpacks the most complicated aspects of this issue, including:· How antibiotics are used (and overused) in humans, plants, and livestock· The consequences to date, and the potential crisis ahead, as overuse of existing antibiotics breeds new resistance in bacteria· How the globalized world enables antibiotic resistance more quickly· Collateral damage, individually and societally, of antibiotic use· The difficult decisions ahead related to medical care and the food systemGrounded in the latest scientific research and translated for general readers, Antibiotics: What Everyone Needs to Know® offers a clear-eyed overview of where we are, and what the future holds, as antibiotics lose their might.