Antibiotics

One paradox about antibiotics is that, broadly speaking, the more we use them, the less they continue to work. The Darwinian process of bacteria growing resistant to antibiotics means that, when the drugs don’t work, we can no longer treat infections, leading to groups like the World Health Organization warning about our ability to control major public health threats. Because of its ubiquity, one topic that’s particularly concerning is urinary tract infections (UTIs), which affect half of all women and add almost $4 billion a year in unnecessary healthcare costs. Doctors often treat UTIs using antibiotics called fluoroquinolones that are inexpensive and generally effective. However,…