This is the end: our post-antibiotic world

Abstract

The recent CPE (Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacteriaciae) outbreak at Royal Columbian Hospital is a sobering reality check for the state of antimicrobial stewardship. Superbugs have emerged as early as the 1950s, after the first widespread use of penicillin, and new strains have appeared faster than new antibiotics. This article provides a brief summary and critical evaluation of the struggles with antimicrobial stewardship, lack of interest in antibiotic research in the pharmaceutical industry, and the implications of living in a world without antibiotics.