The most feared organism in the world has neither claws nor teeth. It may look primitive, but it is efficient and highly developed. Invisible to the human eye, it lives under the skin, in our hair roots and in the corners of our mouths and eyes. Our bodies have ten times the number of bacteria as ce

The historical battle between man and microbes seemed to have been decided by the advent of antibiotics. Many believe the antibiotic to be an invention of modern medicine. In fact, microorganisms developed these enzymes three million years ago as a defence against competitors. Mankind only adopted this strategy. The use of antibiotics ushered in a period of relative calm for the Western industrialised nations - during which time fears of infection receded. The new weapon against pathogen microorganisms was applied liberally. Today, every person in the world consumes an average of ten grams of antibiotics per year. Some 30,000 tonnes of antibiotics are produced per year and circulate freely in the ecosystem. As a consequence, a number of bacteria became resistant against penicillin in the 1980s and then all other antibiotics.

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