Acinetobacter baumannii is one of the most antibiotic-resistant pathogens, estimated to kill between 50,000 and 100,000 people annually. This interactive work draws on biography and science to create a speculative but possible near future, exploring the causes and dangers of antibiotic resistance. 

The Pathogen of War transports audiences to 2073, a time after the Bio-Rift a period when all bacteria became resistant to our antibiotics, resulting in the deaths of half the human population. Set in the future, “Museum of Medical Archaeology” examines how war has biological consequences that can threaten the viability of antibiotics and global health. 

Iraqi doctor-turned-medical anthropologist Dr. Omar Dewachi takes the audience on a personal journey through Iraq’s recent history, revealing how Acinetobacter baumannii—once a relatively benign bacterium—evolved into a “perfect killer”, known in the U.S. as ‘Iraqibacter’ or the ‘invisible enemy’. The show reveals the layered social history of this microbe, from the microscopic to the geopolitical, unearthing how the consequences of war can fuel deadly pathogens and threaten the future of health and medicine.