摘要：Even though microorganisms can’t be seen with the naked eye, bacteria are the most abundant organisms on the planet. While many of these organisms are harmless to people, and may even be beneficial, such as our gut bacteria,[1] some cause disease. Since the discovery of penicillin, we have been able to treat bacterial infections with antibiotics. However, antimicrobial resistance has become widespread, and we are once again starting to see life-threatening bacterial infections.[2,3] According to a recent report by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), infections by multidrug-resistant bacteria are estimated to cause 33 000 deaths in the EU every year, with an annual cost due to healthcare expenditures and productivity losses estimated to be approximately €1.5 billion.[4] In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that “Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today.”.
