This week brought alarming updates from the World Health Organization: Antibiotics are becoming less effective. An increasing number of bacterial infections are not reacting to these treatments—including common ones impacting the bloodstream, digestive system, and urinary system. Contract an infection from one of these pathogens, and there’s a significant likelihood antibiotics will be ineffective.
The unsettling reality is that a rising number of dangerous bacteria and fungi are developing resistance to medications. Just a few weeks prior, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report documenting a marked increase in infections caused by a particularly hazardous type of bacteria that resist some of the most potent antibiotics. Now, the WHO report indicates that the issue is escalating globally.
In this week’s Checkup, we’re introducing something a bit unique—a short quiz. You may be familiar with antimicrobial resistance (AMR), but how much do you really know about microbes, antibiotics, and the extent of the challenge? Here’s our effort to bring the “fun” to “fundamental threat to modern medicine.” Test your knowledge below!
This article initially appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To get it delivered to your inbox every Thursday, and to read articles like this first, sign up here.
