Antibiotic resistance and the environmentthere and back again

T oday, it is difficult to imagine a time when bacterial infections caused a terrible toll of disability and death. The discovery and use of antibiotics in medicine in the 20 century, together with better hygiene and vaccination programs, has drastically increased human life expectancy. In a way, however, these antibiotic ‘silver bullets’ have become victims of their own success, and most people are no longer aware of the deadly threat of bacterial infections. As a result, we have become lax and even irresponsible: We use antibiotics at every opportunity to treat mild or even viral infections, and we have used them in massive amounts in agriculture as a preventive measure against bacterial diseases, and to promote the growth of poultry, beef and pigs in animal farms.