Problem
Overview
Through the first four decades of the twentieth century, and well into the fifth, the second leading cause of death in the United States was pneumonia, overwhelmingly caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, a first cousin to the bacterium that nearly took Anne Miller's (first patient saved by penicillin) life. The sixth deadliest killer, nearly every year, was Mycobacterium tuberculosis. By 1955, pneumonia had fallen to sixth place. Tuberculosis wasn't even on the list.
Task
A. What are some of the biggest threats of microbes today (CDC Biggest Threats and Data) here in the USA and what challenges do we face in achieving control over these microorganisms?
B. Why have they gotten to the stage of being a threat?
C. Which one microbe on the list interests you most and like in the Anne Miller's story, is the leading theory on bringing the numbers down.