Another passive strategy is to deprive the offending bacteria of nutrients it needs to divide and grow, such as iron. The bacterium cannot manufacture iron, so it must steal it from the host. If we can find ways to “hide” our iron from them, we might not have to attack the biochemical pathways in the bacteria, which is what allows the bugs to build up resistance. This is one area in which we might expect significant scientific breakthroughs in the coming decades.
