Stranger and Scarier: Superbug Fact or Fiction?

Medically Reviewed by Carol DerSarkissian, MD on December 04, 2022
Question 1/13

What are “superbugs”?

  • Germs that cause illnesses that can kill you
  • Germs that can’t be killed by basic antibiotics
  • Germs that multiply really fast
Question 2/13

Where are antibiotic-resistant bacteria found?

  • North America and Europe
  • Africa and Asia
  • Pretty much everywhere
Question 3/13

About how many Americans get sick each year from bacteria that can’t be killed by basic antibiotics?

  • 5,000
  • 800,000
  • 2 million
Question 4/13

What’s the most dangerous superbug found so far?

  • Acinetobacter
  • Clostridium difficile (C. diff)
  • MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)
Question 5/13

In the U.S., drug-resistant infections cost about this much every year:

  • $15 billion
  • $27 billion
  • $55 billion
Question 6/13

Using hand sanitizers can spread superbugs.

  • True
  • False
Question 7/13

What percentage of antibiotic prescriptions aren’t really needed?

  • 15%
  • 30%
  • 65%
Question 8/13

Which of these illnesses shouldn’t be treated with antibiotics?

  • Bronchitis
  • Strep throat
  • Whooping cough
Question 9/13

The best thing you can do to help prevent superbugs is:

  • Avoid infections
  • Never take antibiotics
  • Avoid vaccines
Question 10/13

This is a good way to keep drug-resistant bacteria from spreading:

  • Save antibiotics for your next illness
  • Skip doses so you take fewer drugs
  • Take all your prescribed medications
Question 11/13

Antibiotic resistance is a natural process.

  • True
  • False
Question 12/13

In the U.S., farm animals get more antibiotics than people.

  • True
  • False
Question 13/13

When did doctors discover antibiotic resistance in bacteria?

  • 1940
  • 1972
  • 1996