Antibiotic Resistance

Volume 4 of the Phenomenology of Biocatastrophe publication series provides timely commentary and updates on the emergence and growth of antibiotic resistant and viral infections, as well as on other important widespread threats to human health such as the Zika outbreak, Legionnaire's disease, norovirus infections, and the rapid increase in Lyme disease. There is a broad spectrum of antibiotic resistant microbes (ARMs) now impacting a wide variety of bacteria, fungi, pathogens, and other microbial communities. The venues for their identification are the same hospitals, clinics, and research laboratories that lead to the pioneering adaptation of antimicrobial organisms to fight infectious diseases in developed and developing nations. In the United States, the CDC (Center for Disease Control) is the most important source of information on acquired bacterial resistance in human health, including its proliferation in the general community. The CDC publication, "Antibiotic Resistance: Threats in the United States, 2013" is reprinted in its entirety in Appendix 1 of this text.