The term “antibiotic resistance” doesn’t have the fear-inducing power of an ailment like cancer or AIDS, but it should. Experts say dealing with bacteria that doesn’t respond to drugs should be on the top of our to-do list — or they will kill more people than cancer by 2050. Both overprescribing and feeding livestock antibiotics have contributed to the growing problem, so now researchers are looking for ways to reduce their use to preserve those that are still useful and prevent a total public health emergency. One Chinese team has developed a test that could determine when antibiotics are actually necessary just by analyzing a patient’s breath.
