Drug-Resistant Bacteria Pose a New Threat

Drug-resistant bacteria are making the news again, and this time with the ultimate threat: There are no viable drugs to treat them.

Nearly as long as there have been antibiotics there have been drug-resistant bacterial strains. Selective pressure due to overprescribing as well as improper usage by patients allow bacteria to develop defenses against antibiotics. And after years of warnings by health officials, we are now seeing the presence of superstrains – bacteria that are impervious to all of our available antibiotic medications.