Just over a half century ago, death from such diseases as pneumonia, tuberculosis, and meningitis were common. But the introduction of penicillin and other antibiotics during World War II revolutionized medicine and saved countless lives. Today, we routinely ingest, inject, and smear on all manner of antibiotics to combat our ailments.
But there’s trouble in paradise. Rather than passively succumbing to antibiotics, bacteria constantly evolve new strains to deflect the drugs’ firepower. For decades, drugmakers were able to stay one step ahead of the microbes with revamped antibiotics.
