抗生素是消灭细菌的小能手，但在杀灭或抑制过程中，细菌也一直在“反抗”。细菌为了生存，在跟药物的不断抗争下改变了自己的性质和状态来维持生命，导致细菌对药物产生耐药性。例如，人们对抗生素的过度使用导致抗生素抗药性变得越来越不可控。最近，经济合作与发展组织（OECD）的一份关于抗生素抗药性的研究报告提醒称，因耐抗生素细菌感染，在未来会有更多的人面临着死亡的威胁，且预测将来这个问题会越来越严重。
据报道，至2050年前，抗生素抗药性会成为世界卫生及健康严重的危害，甚至可能会超过癌症及其它致死因素，成为极大的安全隐患。但值得注意的是，目前人类在医药的研究和发展上是日新月异的，在抗生素抗药性这场绵绵无期的拉锯战中，人类该如何在未来的一段时间内扭转这一趋势，可能是每个人都需要参与思考的问题。
First do no harm: antibiotic resistance
① A report on microbial resistance to antibiotics is published today by the OECD, adding to a streak of new publications on the problem.
② Recent studies estimate that each year about 33,000 people in the European Economic Area and at least 23,000 in America die from infections caused by bacteria resistant to some antibiotics.
③ Inappropriate use of the drugs fuels the emergence of resistant organisms.
④ Half of antibiotics prescribed by primary-care doctors in OECD countries fall in this category.
⑤ In some cases, doctors unwittingly prescribe the wrong drug.
⑥ More worryingly, however, many dish out antibiotics under pressure from patients.
⑦ Nearly half of British general practitioners in one study admitted to prescribing an antimicrobial drug that they knew would be ineffective.
⑧ In southern and eastern Europe, self-prescribing is rampant: in Greece and Romania nearly a fifth of antibiotics are taken without a prescription.
⑨ The new report's ideas on how to solve these problems would be timely.
