Yes, you could do this at home. Growing bacteria you find in a pile of dirt or a local pond might reveal the next big antibiotic. Charlotte Raymond/Science Source hide caption
antibiotics antibiotics
Young broilers nibble feed at a chicken farm in Luling, Texas. The Food and Drug Administration has issued new guidance on how drug companies label antibiotics for livestock. Bob Nichols/USDA/Flickr hide caption
Drug Companies Accept FDA Plan To Phase Out Some Animal Antibiotic Uses
Turkeys sit in a barn in Sonoma, Calif. An estimated 46 million turkeys are cooked and eaten during Thanksgiving meals in the U.S. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption
In recent years, pork producers have found ways to keep the animals healthy through improved hygiene. M. Spencer Green/AP hide caption
Cattle crowd inside a feedlot operated by JBS Five Rivers Colorado Beef in Wiley, Colo. John Moore/Getty Images hide caption
Unless it's strep throat, antibiotics are unlikely to help you get over a sore throat. iStockphoto.com hide caption
Streptococcus pyogenes shouldn't be taken lightly. Left untreated, an infection with germ can trigger an autoimmune disease that damages the heart. NIAID/Flickr.com hide caption
Piglets in a pen on a hog farm in Frankenstein, Mo. Jeff Roberson/AP hide caption
A truckload of live turkeys arrives at a Cargill plant in Springdale, Ark., in 2011. Most turkeys in the U.S. are regularly given low doses of antibiotics. Danny Johnston/AP hide caption
Organic apples hang from trees in an orchard in Forest Range, Adelaide Hills, South Australia. donkeycart/via Flickr hide caption
Klebsiella pneumoniae, seen here with an electron microscope, are the most common superbugs causing highly drug-resistant infections in hospitals. Kwangshin Kim/Science Source hide caption
Infections With 'Nightmare Bacteria' Are On The Rise In U.S. Hospitals
Giancario Gemignani-Hernandez, 2, of Pittsburgh has his ear examined by Dr. Alejandro Hoberman. Gene J. Puskar/AP hide caption
Would Woodstock have happened without penicillin? AP hide caption
Clostridium difficile bacteria produce a toxin that damages the intestine and causes severe diarrhea. Courtesy of David Goudling/Nature Genetics. hide caption