Christian Choe, Zach Rosenthal, and Maria Filsinger Interrante, who call themselves Team Lyseia, strategize about experiments to test their new antibiotics. Linda A. Cicero/Stanford News /Courtesy of Stanford University hide caption
antibiotics
Chicken served at McDonald's won't necessarily be raised completely without antibiotics — but it will be raised without antibiotics used for human medicine. Mark Duncan/AP hide caption
Once scientists grew these Staphylococcus lugdunensis bacteria in a lab dish, they were able to isolate a compound that's lethal to another strain commonly found in the nose that can make us sick — Staphylococcus aureus. Mostly Harmless/Flickr hide caption
Treponema pallidum, the bacterium that causes syphilis, looks like a writhing snake under a microscope. Science Source hide caption
A Pennsylvania woman developed a urinary tract infection cased by Escherichia coli bacteria that were found to be resistant to colistin, an antibiotic that is seen as the last line of defense. Nature's Geometry/Science Source hide caption
What if a drug could knock out Staphylococcus aureus bacteria like these without disturbing the bacteria that help make you healthy? NIAID/Flickr hide caption
Syphilis can be wiped out with one to three shots of penicillin. PhotoAlto/Eric Audras/Getty Images hide caption
At the Iowa State University Beef Nutrition Farm, the cattle eat carefully formulated rations. Researchers there are trying to test new types of animal feed. Amy Mayer/Iowa Public Radio hide caption
A bite from a blacklegged tick can transmit Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, which cause Lyme disease. Jim Gathany/CDC hide caption
A dish featuring antibiotic-free beef from Strauss Beef served at Overlake Medical Center in Bellevue, Wash. Courtesy of Overlake Medical Center hide caption
Cattle graze in a field near Sacramento, Calif. California Gov. Jerry Brown, along with many health advocacy groups, has called the overuse of antibiotics "an urgent public health problem." Rich Pedroncelli/AP hide caption
To Avoid Intestinal Distress While Traveling Overseas, Skip The Ceviche
If you know what a bladder infection feels like, should you have to go to the doctor every time? iStockphoto hide caption
Patients receive treatment at the Chest Disease Hospital in Srinagar, India. The country has one of the highest rates of drug-resistant tuberculosis in the world, in part because antibiotics for the disease are poorly regulated by the government. Dar Yasin/AP hide caption