The antibiotic paradox : how the misuse of antibiotics endangers their curative powers / Stuart B. Levy.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Levy, Stuart B.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Antibiotics.

Drug resistance in microorganisms.

Physical Description:

xx, 353 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. : Perseus, [2002]

Summary:

In The Antibiotic Paradox, Dr. Stuart Levy reveals how our cavalier and naive attitude about the power of antibiotics can have dire consequences. He explains that we are now witnessing a massive evolutionary change in bacteria. A build-up of new antibiotic-resistant bacteria in individuals and in the environment, mixed with the unregulated dispensing of antibiotics worldwide, is leading us into a dangerous territory where our "miracle" drugs will no longer help.

Contents:

1 From Tragedy the Antibiotic Age is Born 1

2 The Disease and the Cure: The Microscopic World of Bacteria and Antibiotics 15

3 Reliance on Medicines and Self-Medication: The Seeds of Antibiotic Misuse 57

4 Antibiotic Resistance: Microbial Adaptation and Evolution 71

5 The Antibiotic Myth 115

6 Antibiotics, Animals, and the Resistance Gene Pool 149

7 Further Ecologic Considerations: Antibiotic Use in Agriculture, Aquaculture, Pets, and Minor Animal Species 181

8 Future Prospects: New Advances against Impending Disaster 211

9 The Individual and Antibiotic Resistance 239

10 The Antibacterial Craze 263

11 Antibiotic Resistance: A Societal Issue at Local, National, and International Levels 275

Epilogue: Anthrax, Bioterrism, and Antibiotic Stockpiling: Consequences Beyond the Scare 315.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0738204404

OCLC:

48783293