The real problem is that as more organisms pick up antibiotic resistance genes, they begin to contaminate our enviroment. Our waterways [local] and wetlands. Our hospitals [local]. Our livestock and poultry [local] used to produce meat.

The real fear is that we might run out [local] of antibiotics that work. Currently, for many pathogenic microbes, there is only one effective antibiotic remaining, vancomycin [local]. When they acquire resistance to vancomycin, the situation will be grim unless new classes of antibiotics are developed.