Penicillin was rushed to the scene, allowing doctors to perform skin grafts without contaminating the wounds with bacteria. But by the early 1960s, it became clear that bacteria were beginning to resist penicillin. Already, doctors were seeing infections it couldn't cure. Drug resistance gained momentum in the 1980s and 1990s, particularly inside hospitals where drug-resistant strains spread rapidly. Today, the future is uncertain.
More new antibiotics are in the pipeline.
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