Can The Pitt help save us from superbugs? * Assa Doron and Alex Broome

Antibiotics have been restricted or banned in parts of the world, but in India they’re often added to chicken feed, a practice linked to rising antimicrobial resistance. Authors Assa Doron and Alex Broome argue that superbugs—resistant bacteria—are a present, not distant, crisis, citing Australia where antimicrobial resistance is already killing people. They describe how resistant bacteria spread through hospitals, food chains, and households, moving across farms, sewage, travel, and global trade. The piece notes that hospitals don’t create resistance from scratch: community-acquired bacteria can be amplified in crowded healthcare settings where antibiotics are widely used. It points to pressure on India’s public system—too many patients, too few doctors, and unsafe conditions—as factors contributing to exposure and transmission.