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,
