resistant strains
Microbes defying treatment
Resistant strains are varieties of bacteria, viruses, or other microorganisms that have developed immunity to drugs designed to kill them.
The term appears most often in discussions of antibiotic resistance: The hospital is dealing with resistant strains of staph.
Overuse of antibiotics accelerates the evolution of resistant strains, making infections harder to treat.
The phrase occasionally extends to pests that survive pesticides or weeds that tolerate herbicides.
- antibioticBacteria-killing medication
- bacteriaNucleus-free single-celled organisms
- bacterial infectionIllness from harmful microorganisms
- mutationPermanent DNA alteration
- natural selectionDifferential reproductive success
superbug · MRSA · immunity · evolution · pathogen · infection · penicillin · hospital · outbreak · overuse · hand washing · plasmid · tuberculosis · gonorrhea · adaptation · virulent · treatment · last resort
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