Are We at Risk for a Post-Antibiotic World?

The post-antibiotic world is like the pre-antibiotic world, says Jill Maddison, BVSc, PhD, FACVSc, SFHEA, MRCVS, professor of general practice in clinical sciences and services at the Royal Veterinary College. It's where routine surgery would become potentially life threatening.

However, Dr. Maddison says she has hopes that the medical world is paying enough attention to the impact that good hygiene—not always medications—have on preventing the spread of disease. She points to the ear as the perfect example of what happens when you continue to use antibiotics to treat an area that doesn’t need them.