superbug en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úp Proto-Indo-European *-er Proto-Indo-European *upér Proto-Italic *super Latin super Latin super-lbor. English super- English bug English superbug From super- + bug.
Meanings
-
(informal) A strain of bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics (e.g., MDR, XDR).
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.
2010 March 7, Nicholas Kristof, “The Spread of Superbugs”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
- (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.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| superbugs | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Hyponyms
super gonorrhea (drug-resistant microbe)
Synonyms
silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci)
Translations (7)
it superbatterio (a strain of bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics) · es superbacteria (a strain of bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics) · de Super-Erreger (a strain of bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics) · el υπερβακτήριο (a strain of bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics) · cmn 超級細菌 /超级细菌 (a strain of bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics) · fr superbactérie (a strain of bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics) · de Killerkeime (a strain of bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics)