A very powerful type of bacteria that normal drugs cannot kill.
Superbug is a noun that refers to an antibiotic-resistant organism that has the ability to fight against the effects of medication. This is a version of a highly developed and adaptable microbe that can come into existence as a result of genetic mutation. Due to the advanced nature of the bacteria, a superbug is notoriously difficult to treat with traditional medicine. This can lead to dosage increases or alternative medications, with potentially damaging effects for patients.
Drug resistance is on the rise due in part to improper use of antimicrobials, causing the dissemination of resistant strains to increase. This makes the necessity for alternative medication a matter of urgency. Superbugs are therefore a serious threat to public health on two separate fronts: the first is the threat of the bacteria themselves and consequent diseases; the second is the risky treatment attempted with potentially hazardous or fatal results.
The World Health Organization has warned that there are strains of untreatable diseases on the rise, with very serious ramifications for public health. The WHO used gonorrhoea as an example of a superbug that develops resistance to different drugs over time. With only three novel antibiotic treatments in development to treat the bug — none of which guarantee effective healing — the WHO has stressed the need for innovation before the last-resort gonorrhoea medications are rendered useless against the untreatable strain of the superbug.
superbug
a very powerful type of bacteria that normal drugs cannot kill
