The antibiotic alarm

摘要

The threat posed by the spread of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria is unlikely to be news to Nature's readers. Stories of the spread of'superbugs' have become familiar in recent years. Yet what may come as more of a surprise is the relatively low level of recognition that this problem has received among policy-makers, especially when compared with the potentially catastrophic nature of the crisis that is unfolding. In essence, we are engaged in an arms race with pathogenic bacteria - and we are losing.