How Sewage Saved My Husband's Life from a Superbug | Steffanie Strathdee | TEDxNashville

Tom Patterson was dying from a superbug infection and all antibiotics had failed. Find out how his wife, Dr. Steffanie Strathdee, saved his life from the terrible antibiotic-resistant infection by utilizing
bacteriophages, viruses found in sewage. This gut wrenching story is one of undying love and perseverance, and a forgotten, seemingly miraculous cure hat may help overturn the global antimicrobial resistance crisis. You don't want to miss Steffanie's TEDxNashville talk. Watch this video now to hear her tell their story.
Dr. Strathdee is an infectious disease epidemiologist who received her
doctoral training at the University of Toronto. She is renowned for her
research on the intersection of HIV and drug use, having generated 500 scholarly publications. She is Associate Dean of Global Health Sciences and Harold Simon Professor of Medicine at the University of California San Diego where she directs a campus-wide Global Health Institute.She is married to Thomas L. Patterson, Professor of Psychiatry at UC San Diego, where they co-direct a research and training program on the Mexico-US border. Strathdee was recently credited with saving her husband's life from a deadly superbug infection using bacteriophages -viruses that attack
bacteria. The case, which involved cooperation from three universities, the U.S. Navy and researchers across the globe, shows how phage therapy is a future weapon against multi-drug resistant bacterial infections which are expected to kill 10 million people per year by 2050.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx