Antibiotics: Are we running out?

Since the discovery of penicillin, antibiotics have changed the world of medicine.  However, it is time to
re-evaluate our dependency on them.  We often take for granted our "triumph of science over bacteria," but there are more and more infections that are unaffected by antibiotics.  Already, there are 100,000 deaths in the U.S. per year due to antibiotic-resistant infections.  We have overused antibiotics, allowing more strains of bacteria to pass on resistant traits.  By using them in animal feed, on diseases they can't cure, and not finishing antibiotic treatments (many patients stop taking antibiotics when they feel better, leaving resistant bacteria to multiply), we "handicap" ourselves.

Not many new antibiotics have been discovered recently.  We cannot rely on new antibiotics to fight resistant infections.  We must find new ways to fight them off.  $94 million has been spent on research for rare, bioterrorism agents like anthrax and plague, while only $16 million has been spent on developing new medications for drug-resistant pathogens.  We must think about antibiotics in the same terms as other nonrenewable resources- conservation and sustainable use.  This will mark a paradigm shift.  Currently, it is estimated that 50% of all antibiotic use is unnecessary.  Doctors prescribe them as a precaution or to ward of infections that have not yet occurred.  We cannot allow that to happen any longer.  If we act now, it is still possible for antibiotics to be effective.