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Biography of Resistance: The Epic Battle Between People and Pathogens
Award-winning Boston University educator and researcher Muhammad H. Zaman provides a chilling look at the rise of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, explaining how we got here and what we must do to address this growing global health crisis.In September 2016, a woman in Nevada became the first known case in the U.S. of a person who died of an infection resistant to every antibiotic available. Her death is the worst nightmare of infectious disease doctors and public health professionals. While bacteria live within us and are essential for our health, some strains can kill us. As bacteria continue to mutate, becoming increasingly resistant to known antibiotics, we are likely to face a public health crisis of unimaginable proportions. “It will be like the great plague of the middle ages, the influenza pandemic of 1918, the AIDS crisis of the 1990s, and the Ebola epidemic of 2014 all combined into a single threat,” Muhammad H. Zaman warns.
The Biography of Resistance is Zaman’s riveting and timely look at why and how microbes are becoming superbugs. It is a story of science and evolution that looks to history, culture, attitudes and our own individual choices and collective human behavior. Following the trail of resistant bacteria from previously uncontacted tribes in the Amazon to the isolated islands in the Arctic, from the urban slums of Karachi to the wilderness of the Australian outback, Zaman examines the myriad factors contributing to this unfolding health crisis—including war, greed, natural disasters, and germophobia—to the culprits driving pharmaceutical companies, farmers, industrialists, doctors, governments, and ordinary people, all whose choices are pushing us closer to catastrophe.
Joining the ranks of acclaimed works like Microbe Hunters, The Emperor of All Maladies, and Spillover, A Biography of Resistance is a riveting and chilling tale from a natural storyteller on the front lines, and a clarion call to address the biggest public health threat of our time.
The Biography of Resistance is Zaman’s riveting and timely look at why and how microbes are becoming superbugs. It is a story of science and evolution that looks to history, culture, attitudes and our own individual choices and collective human behavior. Following the trail of resistant bacteria from previously uncontacted tribes in the Amazon to the isolated islands in the Arctic, from the urban slums of Karachi to the wilderness of the Australian outback, Zaman examines the myriad factors contributing to this unfolding health crisis—including war, greed, natural disasters, and germophobia—to the culprits driving pharmaceutical companies, farmers, industrialists, doctors, governments, and ordinary people, all whose choices are pushing us closer to catastrophe.
Joining the ranks of acclaimed works like Microbe Hunters, The Emperor of All Maladies, and Spillover, A Biography of Resistance is a riveting and chilling tale from a natural storyteller on the front lines, and a clarion call to address the biggest public health threat of our time.
313 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 21, 2020
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March 28, 2024
On January 13, 2017, a brief article from Washoe’s [Washoe County, in Nevada] public health officials was published in the Centers for Disease Control’s Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report, and it sent shockwaves around the world. It was the first report of its kind—never before had a US county public health official written about a complete failure of every single antibacterial drug that they had available to them.It was darkly serendipitous that I was reading this book in March, 2020, and that the book would find its way to bookstores in April, when, no doubt, we would still be facing considerable personal and global, medical and economic challenges from what must be deemed public enemy number one, COVID-19. If you will indulge me, I would like to talk a bit about the current [2020] crisis which, while very much related to the book under review, is only one element. I promise to get to the actual book review part before too long.
The SARS epidemic began in 2002. According to the National Health Service in the UK “There’s currently no cure for SARS, but research to find a vaccine is ongoing.” Tick tock, guys, I mean eighteen years is not enough? It gives you some idea of the level of concern about COVID-19. Even the nomenclature can be a bit confusing. “CO” is for “corona,” the type. “VI” is for virus, duh-uh. “D” however, may not be obvious but will be after you read this. Disease. See? The “19” is not the 19th iteration of this malady, but represents the first year in which it was identified, or 2019. You will not find a COVID-18. The actual virus is called “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2”, or SARS-CoV-2 by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. And Yes, it is very much related to the earlier SARS virus and disease.
Two days before my wife was due to return to NYC where she worked several days a week, the first case was confirmed in Manhattan. She still went in. Work is work. In the absence of a corporate ok, most people were reluctant to just call out. How many other people were faced with the same challenge? Go in or stay home? How can one judge the risk if there is no good information yet on how vulnerable one might be to picking up the virus at, say, the Port Authority Bus Terminal, or at Grand Central Station or on the A train, or on the local bus? Maybe your Uber or taxi driver is a carrier and does not even know it. Paranoia can be understandable at such times. For myself, I do not need to interact much with the world, relatively. A good thing, given that I am in the age group most susceptible to the worst results from the virus. But the world does come to me. My wife’s trips to NYC stopped for now, corporate encouraging employees to work from home as much as possible, but we still have a truck-driver relation in the house on a daily basis, and we still have to shop, for food, meds, and other things.
COVID-19 is a global peril because there are currently no drugs available that can dispatch it. [well, there weren't in 2020] Forget a vaccination that is probably well over a year away, if even then. The best one can hope is that, if you get it, you can endure the flu-like symptoms for the duration of the infection, and that your symptoms do not become severe. For the optimistic, The National Institutes of Health reports that they are testing a possible treatment. No date was offered on when the test period would end, or when a decision could be made as to the efficacy of the treatment, the drug Remdesivir, nor, if proven effective, how long it might be before production could be scaled up to provide the vast volumes of the drug that will no doubt be needed.
It used to be that afflictions were named for the place where they were first discovered. MERS, or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, comes to mind. And it should be known that the Spanish flu actually originated in Kansas, but was first copped to in Spain. Locality use in nomenclature for diseases is now considered unacceptable, as stigmatizing. Of course, there are cynical folks on the right who are deliberately attempting to distract political attention from the colossal failure of the Trump administration in the face of this crisis by poking racist nerves and referring to COVID-19 as the Chinse flu, the Wuhan flu or the Wu-Flu. The hope is that it will prompt Dems to go after them for their racism, and then they could be talking about the attack by Dems and not the administration’s lies, failures, cover-ups, and cluelessness.
This week, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. My wife did not travel to Manhattan, but worked the full week from home, and will (and did) until directed otherwise. But the reality of the threat continues to grow (the NBA just postponed the entire 2020 season), MLB has postponed all games, Spring training and regular season, a pointless ban on travel from most of Europe has been announced, and tests for COVID-19 remain in mortally short supply here in the USA. If you can’t test anyone, you can’t confirm an increase in the number of cases, or so I expect the thinking goes in some quarters.
Thanks for indulging me, now on to the book.
Muhammad H. Zaman - image from NTNU
Returning to the opening quote from the book, people and bacteria have been engaged in an arms race for a long time, or it might be better called an AMRs (Antimicrobial resistance) race, and it appears that the microbes are one up on us at present.
This is a biography. One might think of it in terms that some of us of a certain age might associate with a TV show from the way-back, This Is Your Life. A celebrity guest would be introduced, then we watched her or him react to a procession of people from their life, usually teachers, old friends, mentors maybe, arresting officers, whatever. I suppose one might think of Biography of Resistance in a similar vein. We are told at the beginning that a malady has been found (see opening quote) that has proved resistant to all known antibiotics. The bug in question was a CRE (carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae). Many Entero bacteria are harmless, but this family member was Klebsiella pneumoniae, the culprit behind not only many a UTI, but life-threatening sepsis and pneumonia, as well. All known antibiotics (26 at the time) were tried. The patient died of sepsis. So how did this particular bacterium come to be, or, more importantly, how did this level of resistance come to be?
We travel back to when we first found out about our previously unseen fellow Earthlings, and track the advance of our knowledge of them through the centuries. From seeing them at all to understanding that not all our fellow passengers were benign. The action picks up in the mid-late 19th century, as, now recognizing some true enemies, means are found to do battle with them. Then they develop longbows, and we develop armor-plated vehicles, and they develop rocket fired grenades and we develop aircraft and on and on it goes. This history is often fascinating.
One of the things that many popular science books do is to use people as vessels with which to deliver historical and scientific information. (Maybe like inserting a curative virus inside a friendly-looking bacterium in order to slip past defenses of the malignant microbe?) We can more easily relate to other people than we might to raw descriptions of science. And if the scientists in question sometimes have oversized personalities, so much the better. It makes for better story-telling. Some of the names here will be familiar, particularly to any who work or dabble in the life sciences. Maimonides, for example, nailed a description of pneumonia symptoms in the 12th century. Robert Locke’s Micrographia, published in 1665, showed that there is an entire world of living things inside the smallest objects. Antonie van Leeuwenhook built a better
Where there is discovery there is often ego, sometimes to the point of personal, professional, and decidedly dickish competitiveness. Some early work in the examination of pneumonia descended to this level, sadly.
You will learn about Robert Koch, a German microbiologist who, in addition to doing breakthrough work on fighting the black death, ran an institute that produced world class international researchers as if he had found a magic way to clone genius. You will also learn of household-name science icons who were not above fudging data when necessary to prove a point.
Robert Koch was the Professor Xavier to a generation of microbiological superheroes of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, training such household names as Kitisato (a household name in Japan), Julius Petri, yes, of that dish, and Paul Ehrlich, notable for his concerns about population growth, finding a cure for syphilis, and a for being the father of chemotherapy. - image from NobelPrize.org
It is worth knowing how antibiotics actually work, what it is that they do, and how they do it. (Teachers and classmates report how the biographed bac snuck off the schoolgrounds and got into all sorts of trouble, while somehow maintaining top grades) Zaman offers a very readable description of ways in which antibiotics (ABs) go after bacteria and utterly fascinating material about the defenses, some of which are remarkably complex, that bacteria have developed (evolved) to fend off such attacks, including using antibiotic attackers as food. He also reports on different sorts of ABs that have been developed over time, things like bacteriophages, (bacteria eaters) aka phages, sulfa drugs, and a kind of fungus that disarms bacteria.
One large surprise is that bacteria develop antibacterial defenses independent of the presence of humans. (Brothers and sisters appear on stage, telling about what a rotten sib the bacterium was) It would appear that we have joined a battle that has been raging for as long as bacteria have been on the planet. Another is the sources that are used when looking for new AB materials to bring to bear in the ongoing war. It was also heartening to learn of a particular confluence of disparate scientific disciplines joining forces to advance our knowledge, and hopefully enhance our armory.
Actually, resistance, despite some temporary setbacks, seems to be working out pretty well for pathogenic (hostile) microbes
(Lifelong friends, business associates and rivals offer some final praise for the guest of honor) Bringing us up to the present, Zaman catches us up on the dangers we face in the globalization of infection, the misuse of antibiotics as a contributor to the growth of AB resistance, the latest insight on how resistance is replicated, and delves smartly into sociopolitical elements of international health care politics and economics. Some of this is unsurprising, as companies that make their money selling antibiotics lobby against any restrictions, and too many have reduced or eliminated investment in AB research and development, because such products are less likely to earn an optimal ROI than drugs intended for regular, ongoing use. He points out how important it is to involve people other than scientists in the drive to develop new defenses. Economists, politicians, social scientists, anthropologists, writers and more all need to play a part in helping us find ways to survive in what has become, and what we have helped make, a hostile environment. Mother’s milk for policy geeks.
Chart is from AMR review
Gripes - I did not keep a running total, but the sheer number of named researchers did seem a bit encyclopedic at times, as if the author felt compelled to incorporate as many people as possible into his narrative. I expect, in reality, he was pulling hair out because of having to leave so many other scientists out of the narrative, but the number left in seemed a bit excessive. I doubt this can be defended as a gripe, more of a personal preference, really. But I find that science writing is hugely enhanced by the presence of a degree of levity. Mary Roach is the most stunning example of the application of (often jejune) humor to otherwise serious popular science narratives. You will be in no danger of having your latte shoot through your nose as you are ambushed by something totally hilarious in this one. Sip on in confidence.
At the very least, The Biography of Resistance will give you some perspective, a more informed look at just how challenging it is for medical science to keep ahead of (or more accurately catch up to) the resistance that diverse, harmful bacteria keep coming up with to make us ill. Doctor Zaman covers a lot of territory in this very readable, relatively brief (263 pages) book. From the history of our learning what microbes are to showing how antibiotics attack bacteria, and how bacteria fight back, to showing the impact of antibiotics in the world, showing how their overuse has worsened an already challenging problem, pointing out what is currently being done, and offering a broad strategy for moving on, incorporating diverse disciplines. You will learn a lot, and I cannot imagine a timelier book as we try to make our way through what could well be called by future historians 2020: The Year of the Plague
If nothing changes, and we continue on the path we’re now on, by 2050 the world will lose 10 million people a year, every year, to resistant infections.
Review first posted – March 13, 2020
Publication date – April 21, 2020
=============================EXTRA STUFF - See below
September 18, 2024
As if we didn’t have enough to worry about, here’s another threat where long term benefits of a certain action is obscured by short term needs (much like climate change). Increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics is real, and thus it is in our long term interest to use antibiotics judiciously and wisely to avoid conditions which cause resistance, but instead antibiotics are used excessively and distributed widely—even as growth enhancers in livestock and chicken feed.
Bacteria, fungi, and viruses have been battling each other for many millions of years developing all sorts of strategies to resist, compete and sometimes cooperate with each other. The development of animal life has required the evolution of antibody systems to resist disease causing organisms. Then in the 20th century humans developed sulfa and antibiotic drugs.
During the late 1940s and 1950s, now called the golden age of antibiotics effectiveness, it appeared humans had the upper hand in the battle against infections and disease. But very soon some strains of disease organisms became tolerant of the new drugs. Today there is a whole list of antibiotic resistant bacteria, some of which are resistant to all known human made antibiotics. Indeed, a commission based at the University of Oxford, UK, predicts that by 2050, 10 million deaths will occur per year due to antibiotic-resistant infections.
No new antibiotics have been developed for many years, and few pharmaceutical companies are spending research money on the field. Pharmaceutical companies know that if they did find a new blockbuster antibiotic drug that they would not be allowed to sell it widely because any new antibiotic would need to be held in reserve for only the most severe cases. There is research today on understanding the workings of resistance in a search for a new approach. However, the general consensus is that finding new antibiotics by using naturally occurring substances found in nature, as is the case with most existing antibiotics, has been exhausted as a strategy for the future.
One can only hope that human ingenuity will somehow develop some new knowledge or tool so that once again we’ll have the upper hand in our battle against infections. But at this point it’s only hope.
____________
Link to Time Magazine article:
Superbugs Could Kill 39 Million People by 2050, Study Warns
https://time.com/7021922/superbugs-am...
Bacteria, fungi, and viruses have been battling each other for many millions of years developing all sorts of strategies to resist, compete and sometimes cooperate with each other. The development of animal life has required the evolution of antibody systems to resist disease causing organisms. Then in the 20th century humans developed sulfa and antibiotic drugs.
During the late 1940s and 1950s, now called the golden age of antibiotics effectiveness, it appeared humans had the upper hand in the battle against infections and disease. But very soon some strains of disease organisms became tolerant of the new drugs. Today there is a whole list of antibiotic resistant bacteria, some of which are resistant to all known human made antibiotics. Indeed, a commission based at the University of Oxford, UK, predicts that by 2050, 10 million deaths will occur per year due to antibiotic-resistant infections.
No new antibiotics have been developed for many years, and few pharmaceutical companies are spending research money on the field. Pharmaceutical companies know that if they did find a new blockbuster antibiotic drug that they would not be allowed to sell it widely because any new antibiotic would need to be held in reserve for only the most severe cases. There is research today on understanding the workings of resistance in a search for a new approach. However, the general consensus is that finding new antibiotics by using naturally occurring substances found in nature, as is the case with most existing antibiotics, has been exhausted as a strategy for the future.
One can only hope that human ingenuity will somehow develop some new knowledge or tool so that once again we’ll have the upper hand in our battle against infections. But at this point it’s only hope.
____________
Link to Time Magazine article:
Superbugs Could Kill 39 Million People by 2050, Study Warns
https://time.com/7021922/superbugs-am...
July 9, 2020
This is a deep dive into the history of how scientists discovered bacteria and antibiotics and then bungled it all. The book is approachable and easy to follow even if you're not a scientist by trade. It's extremely thorough in detailing all of the many scientists who made discoveries in this area, and also goes into depth about instances of deceit, corruption, incompetence, etc. In light of the current coronavirus situation I was hoping for something about viruses, but this a bacteria and antibiotic book. It really gives you an in depth look at this history, and ultimately was a little more depth than I wanted. That's not the book's fault though. It's an excellent look at an important topic. Rounded up from 3 1/2 stars for me.
I read a digital ARC of this book for review.
I read a digital ARC of this book for review.
Read
December 12, 2021• BIOGRAPHY OF RESISTANCE by Muhammad H. Zaman •
Public health, microbiology, immunology, and medical history of antibiotics and drug-resistant infections and illnesses.
Zaman draws from case studies and research from all over the world - from the soil in the rainforests in Papua New Guinea to the ice in Svalbard, Pakistani cities to the American plains - sharing the biography of the people who discover and research, but also a biography of the bacteria that have become resistant to treatment and what this means for medicine and public health in the future.
I was struck again and again by the stories in the book from conflict zones and areas with humanitarian crises and natural disaster. Bacteria and drug resistance bolstered by times of such hardship... So much of what we know about drug resistance to antibiotics has come from trauma and battlefield medicine.
While published in April 2020, the book does not talk about Covid but mentions the coming pandemics and growing resistance in "tried and true" drugs. Zaman also makes such a strong case for information and resource sharing in what we think of as human medicine versus veterinary medicine, especially when bacteria and viruses so easily spread and spillover from an animal population to humans.
✴️ Highly recommended for friends into medical history, public health, and immunology.
💊 Related reading / See Also:
▪️SPILLOVER by David Quammen
▪️ZOOBIQUITY by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz
▪️PANDEMIC by Sonia Shah
Public health, microbiology, immunology, and medical history of antibiotics and drug-resistant infections and illnesses.
Zaman draws from case studies and research from all over the world - from the soil in the rainforests in Papua New Guinea to the ice in Svalbard, Pakistani cities to the American plains - sharing the biography of the people who discover and research, but also a biography of the bacteria that have become resistant to treatment and what this means for medicine and public health in the future.
I was struck again and again by the stories in the book from conflict zones and areas with humanitarian crises and natural disaster. Bacteria and drug resistance bolstered by times of such hardship... So much of what we know about drug resistance to antibiotics has come from trauma and battlefield medicine.
While published in April 2020, the book does not talk about Covid but mentions the coming pandemics and growing resistance in "tried and true" drugs. Zaman also makes such a strong case for information and resource sharing in what we think of as human medicine versus veterinary medicine, especially when bacteria and viruses so easily spread and spillover from an animal population to humans.
✴️ Highly recommended for friends into medical history, public health, and immunology.
💊 Related reading / See Also:
▪️SPILLOVER by David Quammen
▪️ZOOBIQUITY by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz
▪️PANDEMIC by Sonia Shah
April 16, 2020
Fascinating. This is a subject many have turned their heads against- those who just want that antibiotic whether it is appropriate or not. Zaman has done an excellent job of expanding beyond the first world into the larger universe. He's got a great style that is never too technical or, alternately, pandering. Unfortunately, this is being published in the midst of a pandemic and it might not get the readership it deserves (it can be seen as one more piece of bad news). That said, it's a worthy and interesting read. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC.
August 26, 2025
This was well done and taught me a lot about infections and antibiotics. Some main points:
- You don't have to an expert to understand what Zaman is writing about. I came into this book without any familiarity with the terms or ideas but Zaman writes in a way that makes it easy to follow.
- I had a couple huge misconceptions about how infections evolved to battle antibiotics. The chapters detailing how antibiotics are defeated were truly fascinating.
- There were a couple places where I felt the book got a little side-tracked by various side-stories and people, but overall this was a minor complaint.
Recommended for anyone interested in medicine or just randomly interesting nonfiction.
- You don't have to an expert to understand what Zaman is writing about. I came into this book without any familiarity with the terms or ideas but Zaman writes in a way that makes it easy to follow.
- I had a couple huge misconceptions about how infections evolved to battle antibiotics. The chapters detailing how antibiotics are defeated were truly fascinating.
- There were a couple places where I felt the book got a little side-tracked by various side-stories and people, but overall this was a minor complaint.
Recommended for anyone interested in medicine or just randomly interesting nonfiction.
October 21, 2024
An important book on how antibiotics changed medicine - and how close we are to being without again. Resistance is spread rapidly and we don’t necessarily know if we have a benign resistant microbe in our bodies already. When we then get one that makes us sick, the bacteria exchange DNA and voilà, we die from what should have been an easily treated infection. Instead of antibiotics we have bacteriophages, but I’m not sure that will save us.
December 16, 2020
I read this book at the right time--fascinating! This is a tale well told regarding viruses, immunizations, antibiotics, and the biology and biography of resistance. Resistance to illness, resistance to scientific procedures, resistance to all manner of things. Soooo interesting. I'm ready to read it again!
What a good balance of historical development, medical know-how, economic systems, and current situations. Not quite as current as I was hoping for, given the 2020 pub date (goes up through 2019), but really, really well told. Kept my interest throughout.
What a good balance of historical development, medical know-how, economic systems, and current situations. Not quite as current as I was hoping for, given the 2020 pub date (goes up through 2019), but really, really well told. Kept my interest throughout.
September 14, 2025
3.5 liked it very informative but a little fear mongering and doomsday ish though AMR is fucking terrifying. But on that thought there could have been a touch more info about what has the potential for epidemics? Awesome chapter on the history of phage therapy
June 6, 2020
Wow. More terrifying than uplifting. So scary to learn how bacteria can and are able to outsmart science and technology so damn quickly. The constant battle and struggle to stay one step ahead of these little buggers is at serious risk b/c they are so alarmingly adaptive. Also, pharmaceutical greed and government regulations have made it unprofitable to research and develop new antibiotics. The widespread use of antibiotics prophylactically in animal agriculture, and by third-world and developing countries to treat typhoid and other infections, are the biggest contributors to the global health risk. While there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel, I just hope it's actually the end of the tunnel, and not the train.
Very well-written, well-researched and easy to read.
Very well-written, well-researched and easy to read.
April 19, 2020
Biography of Resistance: The Epic Battle Between People and Pathogens by Muhammad H. Zaman is a very highly recommended biography and history of the scientists involved in the discovery and research of bacteria, bacteriological diseases, antibiotics, and the increasing resistance to antibiotics.
"In September 2016, a woman in Nevada became the first known case in the U.S. of a person who died of an infection resistant to every antibiotic available. Her death is the worst nightmare of infectious disease doctors and public health professionals. While bacteria live within us and are essential for our health, some strains can kill us. As bacteria continue to mutate, becoming increasingly resistant to known antibiotics, we are likely to face a public health crisis of unimaginable proportions. 'It will be like the great plague of the middle ages, the influenza pandemic of 1918, the AIDS crisis of the 1990s, and the Ebola epidemic of 2014 all combined into a single threat,' Muhammad H. Zaman warns."
In this well researched account, Zaman covers the biography and history of the scientists involved in microbiological discoveries and explorations. At this point we should have all heard the warnings concerning the overuse and over prescription of antibiotics and how it is resulting in superbugs. Understanding how bacteria and antibiotics work will hopefully allow more people to understand the seriousness of the current situation.
Harmful bacteria have always plagued humans and threatened us with death. The discovery of their existence and our understanding of it have increased our chances to survive the attacks. The problem is that bacteria have a multilayered defense mechanism that is continuously evolving, mutating, and staying one step ahead of our attempts to control it. Antibiotics were thought to be the cure-all remedy because they target the disease-causing bacteria rather than other cells in the body. "Antibiotics occur naturally, and scientists have further enhanced these sophisticated weapons with two goals in mind: to kill the harmful bacteria or to stop it from replicating." Zaman warns readers that at the current rate in which our antibiotics are becoming impotent, we need to be concerned that the day is arriving when routine procedures could lead to untreatable infections.
This is a fascinating history, call to action, and definitely worth reading.
Take note during this time of COVID 19: "While the world remembers the Spanish flu as the killer, most people didn’t actually die of the viral disease. They died of complications due to pneumonia, a bacterial infection. The flu virus weakened the immune system, providing an opportunity for the pneumonia bacteria to enter and thrive. In the absence of antibiotics to kill the bacteria, pneumonia proved to be a death sentence." "The basic symptoms which occur in pneumonia and which are never lacking are as follows: acute fever, sticking [pleuritic] pain in the side, short rapid breaths, serrated pulse and cough, mostly [associated] with sputum."
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2020/0...
"In September 2016, a woman in Nevada became the first known case in the U.S. of a person who died of an infection resistant to every antibiotic available. Her death is the worst nightmare of infectious disease doctors and public health professionals. While bacteria live within us and are essential for our health, some strains can kill us. As bacteria continue to mutate, becoming increasingly resistant to known antibiotics, we are likely to face a public health crisis of unimaginable proportions. 'It will be like the great plague of the middle ages, the influenza pandemic of 1918, the AIDS crisis of the 1990s, and the Ebola epidemic of 2014 all combined into a single threat,' Muhammad H. Zaman warns."
In this well researched account, Zaman covers the biography and history of the scientists involved in microbiological discoveries and explorations. At this point we should have all heard the warnings concerning the overuse and over prescription of antibiotics and how it is resulting in superbugs. Understanding how bacteria and antibiotics work will hopefully allow more people to understand the seriousness of the current situation.
Harmful bacteria have always plagued humans and threatened us with death. The discovery of their existence and our understanding of it have increased our chances to survive the attacks. The problem is that bacteria have a multilayered defense mechanism that is continuously evolving, mutating, and staying one step ahead of our attempts to control it. Antibiotics were thought to be the cure-all remedy because they target the disease-causing bacteria rather than other cells in the body. "Antibiotics occur naturally, and scientists have further enhanced these sophisticated weapons with two goals in mind: to kill the harmful bacteria or to stop it from replicating." Zaman warns readers that at the current rate in which our antibiotics are becoming impotent, we need to be concerned that the day is arriving when routine procedures could lead to untreatable infections.
This is a fascinating history, call to action, and definitely worth reading.
Take note during this time of COVID 19: "While the world remembers the Spanish flu as the killer, most people didn’t actually die of the viral disease. They died of complications due to pneumonia, a bacterial infection. The flu virus weakened the immune system, providing an opportunity for the pneumonia bacteria to enter and thrive. In the absence of antibiotics to kill the bacteria, pneumonia proved to be a death sentence." "The basic symptoms which occur in pneumonia and which are never lacking are as follows: acute fever, sticking [pleuritic] pain in the side, short rapid breaths, serrated pulse and cough, mostly [associated] with sputum."
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2020/0...
October 8, 2020
A good, easy read about bacterial infections and resistance. The author tells the history of science through an almost continuous flow of stories and historical figures. Like many other books, Zaman asserts the danger is real with short-sighted and profit focused policies in government and business drying up drug pipelines while improper usage increases resistance many fold. Unlike other books I've read on the subject, this had more focus on the results of war on outbreaks. While war has pushed the medical field forward in some research areas, it has also decimated infrastructures, allowing disease to thrive. He says, "war, greed, and bad policies" are what render antibiotics impotent.
I appreciated the non-technical discussions on phages, the antibacterial viruses which can target specific bacteria. And the discussion of plasmids, the little DNA packets bacteria exchange that can spread antibiotic immunity far wider than just its descendants. I was not familiar with bacteria going to "sleep" to prevent destruction.
Zaman is a slight optimist. He calls for controlled usage through regulation, namely not using drugs for human consumption on animals. He also praises government incentives for biotech research. He promotes the creation of vaccines to prevent the need for antibiotics and for worldwide improvement in hygiene to reduce infections. He notes, "[Bacteria] obey no borders, harbor no national loyalty, and are always self-preserving, self-advancing, and self-replicating." This is a global issue that affects us all.
I appreciated the non-technical discussions on phages, the antibacterial viruses which can target specific bacteria. And the discussion of plasmids, the little DNA packets bacteria exchange that can spread antibiotic immunity far wider than just its descendants. I was not familiar with bacteria going to "sleep" to prevent destruction.
Zaman is a slight optimist. He calls for controlled usage through regulation, namely not using drugs for human consumption on animals. He also praises government incentives for biotech research. He promotes the creation of vaccines to prevent the need for antibiotics and for worldwide improvement in hygiene to reduce infections. He notes, "[Bacteria] obey no borders, harbor no national loyalty, and are always self-preserving, self-advancing, and self-replicating." This is a global issue that affects us all.
January 24, 2025
I’ll review from two perspectives, the biologist and the lay audience.
My scientific perspective is that this book is well organized and quite informative and insightful into a topic that is all too relevant these days. ABX resistance is something that isn’t going away and I think it’s important that all scientists, no matter your discipline, educate yourselves on this concept. It’s been almost a decade since this book was published and I’d love to see what developments have occurred in drug research and development, especially around the idea of targeting the evolution of bacteria.
My general audience perspective is that anyone and everyone needs to learn about ABX resistance. It’s not going away and in fact I agree with the author in that this could be the most dangerous thing that we deal with in the 21st century.
TLDR Version: always take your full course of ABX when prescribed. Otherwise you’re contributing to the problem!
My scientific perspective is that this book is well organized and quite informative and insightful into a topic that is all too relevant these days. ABX resistance is something that isn’t going away and I think it’s important that all scientists, no matter your discipline, educate yourselves on this concept. It’s been almost a decade since this book was published and I’d love to see what developments have occurred in drug research and development, especially around the idea of targeting the evolution of bacteria.
My general audience perspective is that anyone and everyone needs to learn about ABX resistance. It’s not going away and in fact I agree with the author in that this could be the most dangerous thing that we deal with in the 21st century.
TLDR Version: always take your full course of ABX when prescribed. Otherwise you’re contributing to the problem!
December 16, 2023
The book is what the title says - a biography of the resistance in bacterias. It is a deep history of discovering the bacteria, antibiotics, how they work and how bacterias grew resistant, written in easy to understand way. Starting with Micrographia and discovering of living things inside of the smallest objects, the invention of the microscope, fermentation by microscopic animals (Louis Pasteur), the controversial Robert Koch, who discovered the cause of deadly infectious diseases including tuberculosis, cholera and anthrax, provided proofs for the germ theory of diseases and therefore creating the scientific basis of public health, ran an institute, producing world class researchers, who in turn came up with breakthrough discoveries (Emil von Behring developed antisera against tetanus and diphtheria, Paul Ehrlich and his method of staining tissue and bacteria, Shibasaburo Kitasato demonstrated the efficacy of antisera - blood with antibodies, and others). We learn how antibiotics work and the complex defenses bacteria has developed. Also antibiotics that have developed to cater against the evolution, eg bacteriophages (bacteria eaters) aka phages, sulfa drugs and a fungus that disarms bacteria.
One huge shock for me was that bacterias develop antibacterial defenses also independent from humans - just by exchanging with other bacteria that already has these defenses (conjugation and transduction). The book ends with the dangers we face in globalization of infection, the misuse of antibiotics, sociopolitical elements of international health care politics and economics, and offering a broad strategy for moving on.
The book is full with famous scientists and the variety of their contributions. I knew already some of the stories about the antibiotics discovery and pharma but many were new to me and shocking. I thought the bacteria resistance is from last 20 years or so and didn’t know it’s been already happening for more than 70 years! I would have thought by now we would have come with alternatives but the book shows how worldwide is the problem and solution in one country won’t be enough because bacterias don’t care about borders. One good reason for nations to unite and fight globally the diseases but let’s see…
One huge shock for me was that bacterias develop antibacterial defenses also independent from humans - just by exchanging with other bacteria that already has these defenses (conjugation and transduction). The book ends with the dangers we face in globalization of infection, the misuse of antibiotics, sociopolitical elements of international health care politics and economics, and offering a broad strategy for moving on.
The book is full with famous scientists and the variety of their contributions. I knew already some of the stories about the antibiotics discovery and pharma but many were new to me and shocking. I thought the bacteria resistance is from last 20 years or so and didn’t know it’s been already happening for more than 70 years! I would have thought by now we would have come with alternatives but the book shows how worldwide is the problem and solution in one country won’t be enough because bacterias don’t care about borders. One good reason for nations to unite and fight globally the diseases but let’s see…
August 14, 2020
I known for a long time we are in a world-wide antibiotic crisis as pharmaceutical companies abandon R &D and antibiotic resistance rises, big I had not thought about how war contributes to the problem. Moreover, this book reminds me how short-sighted and dangerous nationalism us to our collective health and well-being. Simply, we need the collective world-wife medical community to solve our pathogen problems. Highly recommend this book,
October 2, 2022
Dr Zaman is surprising on the board of advisory at a university I I studied at. This book is pitched as another “Emperor of all Maladies”, and despite both being a medical histories, there is little similarity beyond that. “Emperor” is far superior in almost every respect, from the writing, the subject matter, the structure, and narrative. This book was not exactly bad, but I felt there was something missing that made it feel dun.
May 1, 2020
4+ stars. Bacteria, germs, viruses, antibiotics, mutations, resistance, scientists, flus and more. What could be better?
August 20, 2020
Not the most enthralling read, but a very important topic.
February 8, 2021
Enjoyed this book.
An interesting look at pathogens and viruses.
It's still too bad that people don't listen to officials and result in ongoing cases.
Good read.
4.1/5
An interesting look at pathogens and viruses.
It's still too bad that people don't listen to officials and result in ongoing cases.
Good read.
4.1/5
September 6, 2021
Fascinating book about antibiotics their history and future.
June 30, 2020
Very good. I did not like too many biographical details in it.
March 5, 2025
3.5 ⭐️ This was a good mix of science and current events. I did not grade it higher because I found the same problem over and over in that just when I would get interested in a topic he discussed he would change topics.
September 25, 2020
“Companies investing in antibiotics are likely to lose money.”
April 29, 2021
It was not only very insightful but it also talked about all the aspects of antibiotics from intersectional angles and was not afraid of pointing out the more shady parts of the industry.
October 31, 2021
Great ethnography on the continuing discovery and battle against bacteria (who honesty might win).
April 1, 2020
Excellent look at the social and scientific causes of antibiotic resistance
I love this book. Muhammad Zaman tells a great story about antibiotic resistance. He writes with a conversational tone and explains all the medicine very clearly. He brings the problem down to the societal and personal level by beginning chapters with a relevant anecdote, followed by a great discussion. Zaman adds a fair amount of social commentary because the problems of antibiotic resistance and of poverty are intertwined in many parts of the world. One of the great things about the book is the description of the issue in countries outside of typical first-world nations. Although Zaman covers generally similar ground as Scott Podolsky does in “The Antibiotic Era”, Podolsky discusses more about industry-physician relationships and drug marketing. The books are different enough that both are well worth reading. I cannot recommend one over the other but I do strongly recommend both.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of both books discussed via Edelweiss for review purposes.
I love this book. Muhammad Zaman tells a great story about antibiotic resistance. He writes with a conversational tone and explains all the medicine very clearly. He brings the problem down to the societal and personal level by beginning chapters with a relevant anecdote, followed by a great discussion. Zaman adds a fair amount of social commentary because the problems of antibiotic resistance and of poverty are intertwined in many parts of the world. One of the great things about the book is the description of the issue in countries outside of typical first-world nations. Although Zaman covers generally similar ground as Scott Podolsky does in “The Antibiotic Era”, Podolsky discusses more about industry-physician relationships and drug marketing. The books are different enough that both are well worth reading. I cannot recommend one over the other but I do strongly recommend both.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of both books discussed via Edelweiss for review purposes.
September 17, 2020
A solid 3.5 star kind of read, although I fear my judgment is thrown off by the audiobook narration, which was monotonous. Zaman constructs the book as something of a series of biographies, rather than drowning the reader in dense scientific exposition. It's pretty approachable, and it's much more well-rounded than the usual "oh no, superbugs!" feature article.
I found the bookends of the book were more interesting than some of the middle portions, as the episodic nature of the chapters and the researchers they introduce doesn't always resonate. I appreciated how Zaman provided an international perspective and gave a number of female scientists their due.
I found the bookends of the book were more interesting than some of the middle portions, as the episodic nature of the chapters and the researchers they introduce doesn't always resonate. I appreciated how Zaman provided an international perspective and gave a number of female scientists their due.
February 21, 2021
Essentially a history of science, focusing on the people that have worked on antibiotic development and how pathogens keep winning the battle. Main takeaways are that the headlines are right--we're headed for a crisis; that public funding is needed, as the private sector won't continue research in this area; and that there's a helluva lot of drama between scientists.
May 3, 2020
“We are all in this together,” has become the catchphrase of the current pandemic. This phrase is relevant in more ways than we care to admit: humans have shared a relationship with every organism, large and microscopic, from the begining of life on the planet. Some aspects of this relationship, in many respects, could be characterized as “an epic battle between people and pathoges.”
Dr. Muhammad H. Zaman, PH.D., has combined excellent research, and a gift as a natural story teller, in his book: “Biography of Resistance, The Epic Battle Between People and Pathogens.” Dr. Zaman’s book offers lay readers an ecellent historical frame of reference to help them understand the narrative of this “epic battle,” which continues to this day.
The book offers informative, enlightening and entertaining narratives of the lives, relationships, triumphs and hardships of scientists, doctors, researchers, and even bureaucrats, involved throughout history, in the development of antidotes and vaccines to fight pathogens.
Dr. Zaman’s book is engaging as well as entertaining. It is a timely offering from a well respected author, at a crucial time in the battle for human survival during a world wide public health crisis. The stories, combined, offer a sense of optimism: science, scientists, and a well informed populace are crucial weapons in the battle against pathogens.
“…optimism stems from the belief in human ingenuity, the vast reserves of natural treasures that are untapped, and the power of coming together. That optimism is also predicated on two things: a commitment to peace, and a desire to care for all people—everywhere.”
An important book for anyone who wants an educated perspective to help them make sense of the current state of affairs. A useful tool to help them understand the necessisty of “global harmony” in order to coexist with all the inhabiting organisms on the planet.
Dr. Muhammad H. Zaman, PH.D., has combined excellent research, and a gift as a natural story teller, in his book: “Biography of Resistance, The Epic Battle Between People and Pathogens.” Dr. Zaman’s book offers lay readers an ecellent historical frame of reference to help them understand the narrative of this “epic battle,” which continues to this day.
The book offers informative, enlightening and entertaining narratives of the lives, relationships, triumphs and hardships of scientists, doctors, researchers, and even bureaucrats, involved throughout history, in the development of antidotes and vaccines to fight pathogens.
Dr. Zaman’s book is engaging as well as entertaining. It is a timely offering from a well respected author, at a crucial time in the battle for human survival during a world wide public health crisis. The stories, combined, offer a sense of optimism: science, scientists, and a well informed populace are crucial weapons in the battle against pathogens.
“…optimism stems from the belief in human ingenuity, the vast reserves of natural treasures that are untapped, and the power of coming together. That optimism is also predicated on two things: a commitment to peace, and a desire to care for all people—everywhere.”
An important book for anyone who wants an educated perspective to help them make sense of the current state of affairs. A useful tool to help them understand the necessisty of “global harmony” in order to coexist with all the inhabiting organisms on the planet.
January 10, 2022
Washoe County is on the western edge of Nevada, with Oregon to the north and California to the west.
In 2016, a woman in Nevada became the first person in the US to die of an infection that was resistant to every antibiotic available. Her death brings the nightmares of infectious disease specialists to life. Antibiotic resistance has become a major problem in countries around the world and could lead to a worldwide crisis if it isn't slowed down. In this book, Zaman discusses the development of various antibiotics and how bacteria develop resistance. He also offers some ideas of what governments and other organizations can do to stem the tide.
In some ways it was a nice change of pace to read about something that is going to kill us that isn't COVID. In other ways, it was terrifying to think that the next pandemic could be something bacterial that is resistant to all antibiotics. And yet doctors are quick to prescribe antibiotics in cases where they won't be useful, and patients demand it. The cycle of antibiotic development is frustrating. We discover this great new antibiotic, then we decide to throw it at everything, and lo and behold, it becomes less and less effective over time, so we have to develop something new and the cycle begins again.
This book is a history of antibiotics, but also a study of bacteria and how they develop resistance. I learned a great deal on both of these topics. It was interesting learning that bacteria can become antibiotic-resistant through natural evolution even when they have never encountered an antibiotic. I felt the book was organized well and was accessible to general readers. I liked that the book wasn't US or Western centric, but rather showed developments in other parts of the world and the effect of antibiotic resistance on the poorest countries. There were a lot of names and things to keep up with in the book and I am not sure I will remember all of it, but the main themes were frightening and enlightening.
I recommend this book to those wanting to learn about antibiotic resistance or the history of antibiotics. If you are just generally interested in health topics, it could be something good to read as well.
CW: animal cruelty/death, death, medical procedures, war
In 2016, a woman in Nevada became the first person in the US to die of an infection that was resistant to every antibiotic available. Her death brings the nightmares of infectious disease specialists to life. Antibiotic resistance has become a major problem in countries around the world and could lead to a worldwide crisis if it isn't slowed down. In this book, Zaman discusses the development of various antibiotics and how bacteria develop resistance. He also offers some ideas of what governments and other organizations can do to stem the tide.
In some ways it was a nice change of pace to read about something that is going to kill us that isn't COVID. In other ways, it was terrifying to think that the next pandemic could be something bacterial that is resistant to all antibiotics. And yet doctors are quick to prescribe antibiotics in cases where they won't be useful, and patients demand it. The cycle of antibiotic development is frustrating. We discover this great new antibiotic, then we decide to throw it at everything, and lo and behold, it becomes less and less effective over time, so we have to develop something new and the cycle begins again.
This book is a history of antibiotics, but also a study of bacteria and how they develop resistance. I learned a great deal on both of these topics. It was interesting learning that bacteria can become antibiotic-resistant through natural evolution even when they have never encountered an antibiotic. I felt the book was organized well and was accessible to general readers. I liked that the book wasn't US or Western centric, but rather showed developments in other parts of the world and the effect of antibiotic resistance on the poorest countries. There were a lot of names and things to keep up with in the book and I am not sure I will remember all of it, but the main themes were frightening and enlightening.
I recommend this book to those wanting to learn about antibiotic resistance or the history of antibiotics. If you are just generally interested in health topics, it could be something good to read as well.
CW: animal cruelty/death, death, medical procedures, war
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