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  • Superbugs

  • The Race to Stop an Epidemic
  • Written by: Matt McCarthy
  • Narrated by: Matt McCarthy
  • Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (12 ratings)

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Superbugs

Written by: Matt McCarthy
Narrated by: Matt McCarthy
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Publisher's Summary

International best seller

"An amazing, informative book that changes our perspective on medicine, microbes and our future." (Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, New York Times best-selling author of The Emperor of All Maladies)

A New York Times best-selling author shares this exhilarating story of cutting-edge science and the race against the clock to find new treatments in the fight against the antibiotic-resistant bacteria known as superbugs.

Physician, researcher, and ethics professor Matt McCarthy is on the front lines of a groundbreaking clinical trial testing a new antibiotic to fight lethal superbugs, bacteria that have built up resistance to the life-saving drugs in our rapidly dwindling arsenal. This trial serves as the backdrop for the compulsively listenable Superbugs, and the results will impact nothing less than the future of humanity.

Dr. McCarthy explores the history of bacteria and antibiotics, from Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin, to obscure sources of innovative new medicines (often found in soil samples), to the cutting-edge DNA manipulation known as CRISPR, bringing to light how we arrived at this juncture of both incredible breakthrough and extreme vulnerability. We also meet the patients whose lives are hanging in the balance, from Remy, a teenager with a dangerous and rare infection, to Donny, a retired New York City firefighter with a compromised immune system, and many more.

The proverbial ticking clock will keep listeners on the edge of their seats. Can Dr. McCarthy save the lives of his patients infected with the deadly bacteria, who have otherwise lost all hope?

©2019 Matt McCarthy (P)2019 Random House Audio

What the critics say

USA Today Book Not to Miss

One of Book Authority‘s Best Public Health Books of All Time

"Written from the front lines in the battle against resistant microbes, Superbugs will educate and inspire all those concerned about the growing threat to individuals and society. McCarthy offers a fast paced, vivid narrative that grips the reader from the opening pages and never lets go." (Jerome Groopman, MD; Recanati Professor, Harvard Medical School; co-author of New York Times best seller Your Medical Mind)

"There might not be another author who so fluidly combines a world-class doctor and researcher’s knowledge and experience with a memoirist’s sensibility. Matt McCarthy is Siddhartha Mukherjee and David Sedaris rolled into one. Who else but McCarthy could write a dispatch from the front lines of the secret fight for the future of the human race that is not just gripping and illuminating, but also poignant and funny?" (Ben Reiter, New York Times best-selling author of Astroball)

"A riveting insider's look at the race to find a cure for antibiotic-resistant infections, one of the most pressing challenges in modern medicine.... The author's storytelling is at once urgent and empathetic, a compelling combination that leaves readers feeling informed and optimistic. Insightful and honest, McCarthy effectively combines useful information about the latest advances in microbial research with accounts of the best aspects of humanity." (Kirkus)

What listeners say about Superbugs

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