superbug

American  

[soo-per-buhg] / ˈsu pərˌbʌg /

noun

Informal.

1. a pathogenic bacterium that has developed immunity to antibiotics, or an insect that has developed immunity to insecticides.

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superbug British  

/ ˈsuːpəˌbʌɡ /

noun

1. informal an infective microorganism that has become resistant to antibiotics

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Etymology

Origin of superbug

First reported in 1915–20; super- ( def. ) + bug ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Patterson should have died from a nasty superbug picked up in Egypt in 2015 — except Patterson is married to bullheaded epidemiologist Steffanie Strathdee.

From Salon • Nov. 20, 2024

Despite the mounting toll — and the prospect of an eventual surge in superbug fatalities — the development of new antibiotics has failed to keep pace with the threat.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 15, 2024

Writing in the journal Microbiology, the study's authors say susceptible people working and being treated in clinical settings might be unknowingly placed at risk of contracting the superbug.

From Science Daily • Nov. 21, 2023

Either way, the "superbug" refused to be vanquished, despite years of antibiotic treatment.

From Scientific American • Oct. 13, 2023

These include the sudden emergence of a deadly superbug, Candida auris - and a fungi, Mucormycetes, that eats our flesh so quickly that it leads to severe facial injuries.

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2023