The Perfect Predator

A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir

By: Steffanie Strathdee, Thomas Patterson, Teresa Barker

Narrated by: Christine Lakin, Dan Woren

An electrifying memoir of one woman's extraordinary effort to save her husband's life-and the discovery of a forgotten cure that has the potential to save millions more.
"A memoir that reads like a thriller." -New York Times Book Review

"A fascinating and terrifying peek into the devastating outcomes of antibiotic misuse-and what happens when standard health care falls short." -Scientific American

Epidemiologist Steffanie Strathdee and her husband, psychologist Tom Patterson, were vacationing in Egypt when Tom came down with a stomach bug. What at first seemed like a case of food poisoning quickly turned critical, and by the time Tom had been transferred via emergency medevac to the world-class medical center at UC San Diego, where both he and Steffanie worked, blood work revealed why modern medicine was failing: Tom was fighting one of the most dangerous, antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the world.

Frantic, Steffanie combed through research old and new and came across phage therapy: the idea that the right virus, aka "the perfect predator," can kill even the most lethal bacteria. Phage treatment had fallen out of favor almost 100 years ago, after antibiotic use went mainstream. Now, with time running out, Steffanie appealed to phage researchers all over the world for help. She found allies at the FDA, researchers from Texas A&M, and a clandestine Navy biomedical center -- and together they resurrected a forgotten cure.

A nail-biting medical mystery, The Perfect Predator is a story of love and survival against all odds, and the (re)discovery of a powerful new weapon in the global superbug crisis.

Critic reviews

Amazon, "Best Books of 2019 (Science)"
Goodreads Choice Awards, Semifinalist (Science & Technology)

STAT News, "Best Health and Science Books to Read This Summer"
Audie Awards, "Nonfiction" Finalist (2020)

"A fascinating and terrifying peek into the devastating outcomes of antibiotic misuse -- and what happens when standard health care falls short."—Scientific American

"[A] gripping and intriguing medical thriller...This page-turner of a couple's determination to survive also serves as a dire warning regarding the consequences of the overuse of antibiotics."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A thriller, a detective story, and at its core a profound romance, The Perfect Predator is [a] breathtaking story.... It's a warning of the havoc that awaits us as antibiotics lose their power, and a glimpse of the science that could hold that dark future at bay - if we can summon the funding and the political will to create it."—Maryn McKenna, Senior Fellow of the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism at Brandeis University and author of Big Chicken and Superbug

"At once terrifying and inspiring, The 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, New York Times bestselling author of Where Good Ideas Come From and The Ghost Map

"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

"One of the single most compelling personal stories we've ever heard."—Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry, authors of The Essential Guide to Getting yourBook Published

"A real-life medical thriller...fast paced [and] the writing is always infused with humor, hope, and intelligence, and the couple's remarkable story is grounded in real-life details that bring readers directly into their world. Dark, surreal poetic."—Kirkus Reviews

"The Perfect Predator is a compelling and heart-wrenching medical drama that would be completely unbelievable - if it weren't 100% true! Strathdee and Patterson masterfully weave together the personal, medical, and scientific strands of their battle against one of the world's worst superbugs, bringing not just Patterson, but a century-old medical technology back from the brink of death. This first-hand account of the front lines of the battle against the scourge of antimicrobial resistance underscores the human cost underlying the bland statistics."—Rob Knight, PhD, Director, Center for Microbiome Innovation, University of California San Diego and author of Follow Your Gut and Dirt Is Good

Highly Recommended

I highly recommend this book. I didn't want it to end. Excellent! The narrator's were excellent too

Compelling and excellent read!

Absolutely loved this real-life journey, told through the eyes and heart of scientists but in a way that is accessible to every person. Really high recommended listening. Perfect Predator reveals a reality that is relevant to us all and worth understanding. The writing has captured a traumatic experience with such lovely detail and sensitivity.

Yikes!!

This is a perfect book for those who love medical mysteries. This one is full of questions with no answers and try this and that to get to the problem. Turned me into a bit of a hypocondriac as some of these symptoms could be familiar. That went away when I was finished with the book but it certainly did make me turn inward for a minute.

Talk about perseverance!

Shocking story

A shocking, interesting and amazing story. Heartbreaking to know, how many people who do not have medical knowledge or the wherewithal to fight when they so desperately want themselves or their family members to live, loose their battle.

Absolutely Fantastic!

I have a very long commute to work and I love learning while I drive. Found this gem in my audibles list and was astonished how beautifully this story develops. I love microbiology and I learned so much about phage therapy while listening to this wonderfully told story of a wife’s struggle to save her husband from a horrific infection that was was resistant to all available antimicrobials. It was riveting and important and so very relevant to our scientific and therapeutic pursuits. I literally drove slower during my commute because I wanted to hear more…. Just amazing! From a researcher at the lab bench and now as an infection preventionist I highly recommend this book. Thank you Dr. Strathdee & Dr Patterson for sharing your story!