Superbugs by Pete Moore, Carlton, 拢14.99, ISBN 1842221795
MANY people in the rich part of the world think that infectious disease is
history. It鈥檚 just not true. Victories over ills from sepsis to smallpox are
continually being eroded by the evolution of the tiny organisms that cause them.
Bacteria and viruses still see us as a meal rather than masters of the
planet.
Pete Moore does an excellent job in Superbugs of assessing the threats, not
least the threat of complacency. He is concise, well informed politically as
well as scientifically, and manages to mix basic definitions (鈥渋nfectious鈥� is
not 鈥渃ontagious鈥�) with facts that may surprise you even if you鈥檝e been following
the subject.
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As well as the growing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics suggested by the
title, Moore deals with emerging menaces, from headline-grabbers such as Ebola
and flesh-eating bacteria, to flu and malaria鈥攁nd the West鈥檚 current top
scares, BSE and bioweapons.
Can we stay ahead? There is a quirky but thought-provoking chapter on viruses
that kill bacteria. More pressingly, Moore pleads that we should share the
disease-fighting technologies we already have more widely around the
world鈥攐r else suffer the pandemics that emerge among the disease-ridden
poor. If enough politicians read this book, maybe the sharing will start.