SUPERBUGS AND HOSPITALS

For bacteria, a hospital is like an evolutionary experiment gone mad. Think about how many antibiotics are prescribed in a hospital. And think about the broad range of pathogenic bacteria that walk through the door on the skin and in the mouths, noses, ears and open wounds of patients. Even after we bomb these bacteria with drugs, a few hardy mutants will survive. These germs pass easily from patient to patient on unwashed hands and contaminated surfaces. A healthy patient might come in for a couple of stitches and leave with a raging, drug-resistant infection.