Factory farming in particular has much to answer for. The larger the undertaking the more antibiotics are administered to animals. We must also recognize that we will never win the battle against our microbial foe. Microbes reveal an adaptability and dynamism that confirms the strength of evolution in the natural world. They are selected for survival, mutation and change are facts of life, and they change in accordance with changes in their environment and of that of their host's environment.
But what will happen if antibiotics no longer work or are no longer available?
Transplant surgery for one thing will become virtually impossible, pneumonia will once again become 'the old man's friend', appendix operations will become a thing of the past, TB will become incurable, sexually transmitted infections will become very difficult to treat and many childhood infections will resurge.
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The consequences of our over-use of antibiotics and our failure to produce new drugs could well prove disastrous.
The ready availability of effective antibiotics transformed our world. They allowed major advances in surgery, in hospital and home care, transformed childhood infections and revolutionized the treatment of injuries. In many ways there were responsible for the health and life expectancy we enjoy today. The question is – are we really ready for a world without antibiotics?
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