THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF THE ANTIBIOTIC ERA - PART II - PROPOSED SOLUTIONS TO ANTIBIOTIC ABUSE

The bacteria causing diseases that are now becoming serious public hea lth threats are neither strange nor exotic, but rather shockingly fami liar: Tuberculosis, typhoid fever; meningitis, pneumonia, and septicem ias are emerging global threats. The infectious agents causing these s erious threats are the same bacteria identified many decades ago. The only difference is that these and other microorganisms are no longer k illed by the ''miracle drugs'' that have kept them at bay for the past six decades. Antibiotic resistance has made potential killers out of bacteria that previously posed little threat to mankind. The indiscrim inate and reckless use of antibiotics has led to a fast-approaching cr isis in which human dominance of the planet is threatened by single, e lementary cells of the microbial world. Part I of this article detaile d the causes of the crisis. Part II addresses the solutions that are r ecommended by national and international authorities and organizations .