"Not long ago, modern antibiotics seemed to have conquered bacteria. But in The Killers Within, Michael Shnayerson and Mark J. Plotkin reveal the true dimensions of a terrifying predicament: bacteria have evolved, have outwitted doctors, and are now on the ascendancy. Bacteria are everywhere: in and on our bodies, in homes, schools, hospitals, crowded airplanes, and daycare centers. And the scariest thing is that we've been aiding the bugs all along.". "In The Killers Within, Shnayerson and Plotkin have crafted a gripping narrative that reads like a thriller. We meet the scientists desperately racing to stay one step ahead. We learn the creepy science of how bacteria work, and why they may be winning. We see how we've fostered the drug-resistant enemy by the chronic overprescription of antibiotics and by the rampant use of antibiotics in the food we eat. Often these antibiotics, instead of killing the bugs, act like a personal trainer, with the surviving bugs becoming stronger and more resistant than ever. The results have already been horrific (an average of 40,000 Americans die each year from antibiotic-resistant bacteria), and there are few new antibiotics in the pipeline. But there are things we can do to regain the advantage, and The Killers Within reveals these, too."--BOOK JACKET.