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The Perfect Predator

Steffanie Strathdee & Thomas Patterson

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How naturally occurring viruses could help treat superbug infections | CNN

Phages are naturally occurring viruses that infect and kill bacteria. CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta meets the researchers scouring the world to see if phages could be the key to treating antibiotic resistant infections.

Watch Steffanie and the Perfect Predator on Vital Signs

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FULL VITAL SIGNS EPISODE!

  • Antibiotic resistance bacteria: a global health threat.
  • UC San Diego Health phage therapy patient Tom Patterson and wife, Steffanie Strathdee, in November 2015, vacationing in Egypt just days before Patterson contracted a multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infection.
  • Tom’s condition turns critical as he fights for his life against a multi drug resistant superbug, A.baumannii.
  • Microscopic view of bacteriophage.
  • Electron micrograph of bacteriophages (green) attacking a bacterium (orange). Credit: Dr Graham Beards/Wikipeda Commons
  • Bacteriophages infecting bacteria, computer illustration. The tail injects the genetic material into the bacterium, and the cellular machinery of the bacterium is used to produce more copies of the virus.
  • Tom Patterson recovering at Thornton Hospital at UC San Diego Health in July 2016, four months after phage therapy and eight months after he initially contracted a multi-drug resistant bacterial infection in Egypt.
  • Tom Patterson and wife, Steffanie Strathdee, at home in December 2016, nine months after phage therapy at UC San Diego Health and 13 months since he contracted a multi-drug resistant bacterial infection in Egypt.

“Steffanie and Tom provide a refreshing perspective on the looming pandemic of antimicrobial resistance, clearly demonstrating this is about real people’s lives, and that the field needs some serious out of the box thinking.” 

Peter Piot, MD, PhD, Director, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Author of “No Time to Lose: A Life in Pursuit of Deadly Viruses”

The Perfect Predator
2018-12-11T19:25:17+00:00

Peter Piot, MD, PhD, Director, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Author of “No Time to Lose: A Life in Pursuit of Deadly Viruses”

“Steffanie and Tom provide a refreshing perspective on the looming pandemic of antimicrobial resistance, clearly demonstrating this is about real people’s lives, and that the field needs some serious out of the box thinking.” 
https://theperfectpredator.com/testimonials/212/
“At once terrifying and inspiring, Perfect Predator is a brilliant race-against-the-clock medical thriller that is also a celebration of love, commitment, and the power of scientific collaboration.“

Steven Johnson, author of The Ghost Map

The Perfect Predator
2018-12-12T05:52:00+00:00

Steven Johnson, author of The Ghost Map

“At once terrifying and inspiring, Perfect Predator is a brilliant race-against-the-clock medical thriller that is also a celebration of love, commitment, and the power of scientific collaboration.“
https://theperfectpredator.com/testimonials/215/
“A remarkable story of love, resilience, the science of discovery, and quite possibly the future of medicine”.

Richard Horton, FRCP, FMedSci, Editor-in-Chief, The Lancet

The Perfect Predator
2018-12-19T15:14:18+00:00

Richard Horton, FRCP, FMedSci, Editor-in-Chief, The Lancet

“A remarkable story of love, resilience, the science of discovery, and quite possibly the future of medicine”.
https://theperfectpredator.com/testimonials/216/
"A gripping and intriguing medical thriller"

Publisher's Weekly Starred Review

The Perfect Predator
2019-02-09T18:03:37+00:00

Publisher's Weekly Starred Review

"A gripping and intriguing medical thriller"
https://theperfectpredator.com/testimonials/269/
“A real-life medical thriller …fast paced [and] the writing is always infused with humor, hope, and intelligence. The couple's remarkable story is grounded in real-life details that bring readers directly into their world. [D]ark, surreal, poetic.”

Kirkus

The Perfect Predator
2019-03-02T23:12:35+00:00

Kirkus

“A real-life medical thriller …fast paced [and] the writing is always infused with humor, hope, and intelligence. The couple's remarkable story is grounded in real-life details that bring readers directly into their world. [D]ark, surreal, poetic.”
https://theperfectpredator.com/testimonials/kirkus/
Strathdee effectively balances the emotional weight of the experience with scientific, historical and medical information even the lay reader can understand.

Bill Rambo, The Laureate Academy in St. Norbert

The Perfect Predator
2019-04-30T02:38:16+00:00

Bill Rambo, The Laureate Academy in St. Norbert

Strathdee effectively balances the emotional weight of the experience with scientific, historical and medical information even the lay reader can understand.
https://theperfectpredator.com/testimonials/820/
A riveting, pulse-pounding medical thriller that just happens to be true. Strathdee is expert at weaving science into compulsively readable prose

Tess Gerritsen
NYT-bestselling author of THE SHAPE OF NIGHT

The Perfect Predator
2019-10-06T16:25:25+00:00

Tess Gerritsen
NYT-bestselling author of THE SHAPE OF NIGHT

A riveting, pulse-pounding medical thriller that just happens to be true. Strathdee is expert at weaving science into compulsively readable prose
https://theperfectpredator.com/testimonials/983/
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The Perfect Predator

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