penicillin-resistant bacteria
- noun
- /ˌpɛnɪˈsɪlɪn rɪˈzɪstənt bækˈtɪəriə/
- Specialized
:
bacterias resistentes a la penicilina
- The rise of penicillin-resistant bacteria is a major concern for doctors.
Examples
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The emergence of penicillin-resistant bacteria has complicated the treatment of common infections.
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Researchers are developing new drugs to combat penicillin-resistant bacteria.
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Hospitals are concerned about the spread of penicillin-resistant bacteria among patients.
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Are penicillin-resistant bacteria becoming more common?
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A new study revealed that penicillin-resistant bacteria are becoming increasingly common in hospitals.
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Doctors are concerned about infections caused by penicillin-resistant bacteria that do not respond to standard treatments.
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The rise of penicillin-resistant bacteria poses a significant challenge to public health initiatives.
How Resistant
- Specialized
7
6.7
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
penicillin-resistant + bacteria
The phrase is directly compositional: 'penicillin-resistant' means 'resistant to penicillin' and modifies 'bacteria', so a learner who knows 'penicillin', 'resistant' and 'bacteria' can infer the meaning. This adjectival combination is a regular, cross-linguistic way to express antibiotic resistance, so the meaning is predictable and transparent to B1 learners.
Etymology
Penicillin-resistant bacteria literally names tiny living things (bacteria) that are resistant to the drug penicillin, so imagine them with a little shield that stops the medicine. So, it means bacteria 'not affected' by penicillin and that continue to grow.