From Resilience to Resistance: Political Ecological Lessons from Antibiotic and Pesticide Resistance
Year: 2008
Type: preprint
Abstract: This paper investigates the interplay of natural and human systems with reference to the growing global problem of antibiotic resistance. Among the diverse causes of antibiotic resistance, we focus broadly upon three related causes: pharmaceutical practice and the liberal consumption of antibiotics, the use of antibiotic-containing products in the home, and the use of antibiotics in commercial animal husbandry and agriculture. We draw a parallel between pesticide and antibiotic resistance and examine whether lessons learned from one case may be applicable to the other. While our main focus is a micro-ecological analysis examining how humans are changing their environment, our conclusion addresses larger implications of this problem for global health. Through the theoretical lens of political ecology, we ask how we may address the tragedy of the antibiotic commons through public education and consumer activism as well as global health governance.
Source: SSRN Electronic Journal
Authors: Kathryn M. Orzech, Mark Nichter
Institution: University of Arizona
Language: English
Subfield: Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3126111268