For decades, the U.S. has fed its chickens, and other livestock, with antibiotics. They were traditionally used to make the animals bigger, increase the supply, and protect them against disease.

And while the result is a flourishing poultry industry, the practice is also leading to what journalist Maryn McKenna calls "the greatest slow-brewing health crisis of our time." The popularity of chicken, she says, makes it the meat most likely to transmit antibiotic resistance.

Maryn McKenna, journalist specializing in public health and food policy and author of "Superbug," "Beating Back the Devil" and "Big Chicken."