Infections’ Days Are Numbered

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He’s not a medical doctor and he doesn’t play one on TV, but Glenn Webb, professor of mathematics, has a prescription for reducing the transmission of drug-resistant infections among hospital patients. While hospitals combat the life-threatening problem with hygiene—which is vital—Webb’s mathematical analysis indicates that the solution could be briefer courses of antibiotics. Webb worked with researchers from Harvard University, France’s Université du Havre and the University of Miami, Coral Gables, on a mathematical model that analyzed the problem on two levels: bacterial and human interaction. The results suggest that changing the way antibiotics are prescribed and administered can limit the spread of resistant bacteria.