The Search for Alternatives to Antibiotics

Ask any doctor or veterinarian to rate the important medical discoveries of the past century, and antibiotics would surely be at or near the top of the list. In this century, too, antibiotics are expected to remain an essential tool for treating animal and human diseases. But the “miracle of antibiotics” is being threatened. There are clouds hovering over their use in both human health and animal agriculture — with antibiotic resistance casting perhaps the largest shadow.