Warmack waved down another noisy collective outburst. He pointed to a woman waving her arm above her like a flag. She jumped to her feet. “Is this the same organism that causes flesh-eating disease?” she called out.

Warmack pulled the microphone closer. “Several bugs can cause necrotizing fasciitis, as we call it. And regardless of the bug, only a minority of people are susceptible to developing fasciitis. But, yes, this pathogen is capable of causing the disease in the right—or maybe wrong would be a better choice of words—person.”

Warmack pointed at another man casting his arm about as if trying to hail a passing plane. The man popped out of his chair. “Jack Mavis, KIRO news,” he said. “Is it true this bacteria came from the drug addict and AIDS patients?”

Warmack turned to Lopez with a frown. “Yours?” he whispered.

Lopez nodded and leaned toward her microphone. “At this point, while the investigation is in its infancy, we simply don’t know the source.” The anger welled inside her. “But if you’re looking to point fingers, you’d be far better to blame society’s flagrant overuse of antibiotics than any particular segment of the population.”

“I don’t follow you, Dr. Lopez,” Mavis shouted, still flailing his arm. “What’s overuse got to do with this superbug?”

Lopez paused. She realized she had successfully dodged the reporter’s loaded scapegoat question but only by stepping into an equally sensitive area. Warmack reached for his mike—and Lopez knew he intended to bail her out—but she stopped him with a hand placed gently on his. She had no intention of backing down from her remark. “What I mean is,” she said pointedly, “bacteria develop antibiotic resistance only after repeated exposure to an antibiotic.” She tapped the tabletop with an index finger. “There are still lots of doctors out there treating colds and flus with powerful antibiotics that are of no use against viruses, and they do so mainly because patients demand it. And many of those same people don’t even finish the courses of antibiotics they begin, making it easier for bacteria to survive and develop resistance.” She shook her head angrily. “Then there are the corporations. Drug companies actively promote the use of the newest and most expensive antibiotics for infections when older, less precious treatments would easily suffice. Leaving us little in reserve for the worst infections. And the livestock industry puts antibiotics in their feed to produce better growth among the chickens and cattle.” She held up her palms, too incensed to care that she might have just offended everyone from doctors to farmers. “The cumulative effect? Bacteria are repeatedly and unnecessarily exposed to antibiotics. It’s only inevitable that they go on to develop resistance.”