Antibiotics: What Everyone Needs to Know? [Paperback]

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?Virtually everyone has taken antibiotics. They can be lifesavers -- and they can be useless. What are they? How are they used? And what happens as the effectiveness of antibiotics continues to decline?Antibiotics: What Everyone Needs to Know?examines the personal and societal implications of our planet's most important -- and frequently misused -- 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 causes and consequences of bacterial resistance to antibiotics; how the globalized world enables antibiotic resistance to spread quickly; and the difficult decisions ahead for both medical care and the food system.Grounded in the latest scientific research and crafted 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 power.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSPREFACEWhy should you read this book?Why did I write this book?1. ORIGIN AND FUNCTIONWhat is an antibiotic?What is the difference between an antibiotic and antimicrobial?How do antibiotics work?What is the difference between broad and narrow-spectrum antibiotics?Why do we have so many different ones?Do antibiotics work against viruses?Why do people confuse bacteria and viruses?How were antibiotics discovered?Where do antibiotics come from?How are antibiotics made?Are new antibiotics created in the laboratory or discovered in nature?What happens when a compound with antibacterial activity is discovered? How does it come to be used to treat infections?Are the same antibiotics used all over the world?How common are substandard and falsified antibiotics?What is the WHO model list of l“z