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Book Review
Revenge of the Microbes: How
Bacterial Resistance Is Undermining the Antibiotic Miracle
Abigail A. Salyers and Dixie D. Whitt
American Society for Microbiology Press, Washington, DC, 2005
ISBN 1-55581-298-8
Pages: 186, Price: US $29.95
Suggested
citation for this article
Professional journals these days brim with new developments in the field
of antimicrobial resistance, and scarcely a week goes by without a flurry
of new reports on "super bugs" in popular media. Given the unrelenting
blitz of information, that 2 self-proclaimed "fusty old pedants"
could produce a fresh perspective in the ongoing arms race between man
and microbe is all the more noteworthy.
Although their traditional milieu is microbiology textbooks, Salyers
and Whitt have provided a concise yet readable history of the rise of
resistant organisms, as well as the social and economic effect of "these
indomitable little critters." The history, from the first hints of
penicillin resistance to the recent rise of vancomycin resistance, is
as insightful as it is entertaining.
Lay readers will get a digestible dose of the basic science often missing
from the mass media. And professionals will find the kind of incisive
analysis—and even a touch of humor—that is often missing from scientific
journals. Both audiences will find eminently compact descriptions of the
major mechanisms that enable bacteria to develop and pass on resistant
traits, the hurdles that pharmaceutical companies face in developing new
antimicrobial drugs, the dilemmas doctors and patients face in finding
better ways to use drugs, and a thoughtful appraisal of possible future
trends.
In contrast to prophecies of an approaching "post-antibiotic era,"
the authors' own "realistic vision of the future" is far from
apocalyptic. Still, they worry that increasing numbers of treatment failures
like those occurring in hospitals and community settings will erode confidence
in the healthcare system. Some diseases, they believe, will remain treatable,
some new drugs will emerge, and bacteria, with 3 billion years of evolution
on their side, will continue to adapt. So perhaps, they suggest, "the
best we can hope for is détente, a running standoff between science and
the bugs' remarkable ability to adapt to their changing environment."
Mike Toner*
*Atlanta Journal and Constitution
Suggested citation
for this article:
Toner M. Revenge of
the microbes: how bacterial resistance is undermining the antibiotic miracle
[book review]. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2005 October
[date cited]. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol11no10/05-0738.htm
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