superbug

Definition

A strain of bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics (e.g., MDR, XDR).

Etymology

From super- + bug.

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."