superbug
English
Etymology
super- + bug
Noun
superbug (plural superbugs)
- (informal) A strain of bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics (e.g., MDR, XDR).
- 2010 March 7, Nicholas Kristof, “The Spread of Superbugs”, in The New York Times, ISSN 0362-4331:
- 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.
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- (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.
Synonyms
- (Bemisia tabaci): silverleaf whitefly
Hyponyms
- (drug-resistant microbe): super gonorrhea
Translations
a strain of bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics
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Further reading
Antimicrobial resistance on Wikipedia.Wikipedia - Bemisia tabaci on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- superbug at OneLook Dictionary Search