Superbug
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Part of speech noun
Quick meaning: Superbug is a noun meaning (informal) A strain of bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics (e.g., MDR, XDR).
Meaning
(informal) A strain of bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics (e.g., MDR, XDR).
More Meanings
- (informal) Any pathogen resistant to many, even all, of the biocides or other agents used to treat similar pathogens.
- (US) An invasive insect, Bemisia tabaci, that is a major pest of vegetable crops, both directly and as a virus vector.
Example Sentences
But now we’re seeing increasing numbers of superbugs that survive antibiotics. One of the best-known [is] MRSA, a kind of staph infection [that] kills about 18,000 Americans annually. That’s more than die of AIDS.
Word Forms
- superbugs
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include supermicrobe, antibiotype, supervirus, antibioresistance, enterococcus, microbe.
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Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
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