Question: What are superbugs?

Asked by planetjupiter to Miranda on 14 Mar 2013. This question was also asked by lulu, paris4.

0

Keywords:

  1. Photo: Miranda WeenMiranda Ween
    answered on 14 Mar 2013:

    A superbug is a strain of bacteria that is resistant to more than 3 types of prescribed antibiotics.

    the most common are MRSA (methicilin resistant staphylococcus aureus), pseudomonas aeruginosa, and streptococcus pneumoniae.

    normal bacteria turn into “super” bugs when they are exposed to antibiotics a lot. when this happens it can turn on genes to make more pumps to get rid of the drugs. it can also mutate so other pumps can get the drug out of the cell. Because bacteria can divide as fast as every 20 minutes, they have a much faster mutation rate than humans. ie they can evolve super fast into superbugs!

    2

Comments

  1. Photo: trainmantrainman
    commented on 14 Mar 2013:

    a super bug must be really scary

    0

  2. Photo: MirandaMiranda
    commented on 14 Mar 2013:

    trainmain, they can be very scary to the people who catch them, and for the doctors trying to treat them

    0