For generations, an antibiotic prescription could reliably neutralize everyday bacterial threats – clearing childhood strep throat, treating pneumonia or protecting against complications after a routine C-section. Today, that clinical safety net is unraveling. The medications doctors have depended on for decades are losing their potency, leaving medicine with fewer tools to treat common infections.
The scale of the issue is laid out in an updated Antimicrobial Resistance Threats Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Drug-resistant bacteria and fungi – commonly known as “superbugs” – are responsible for more than 9.7 million infections and 50,800 deaths in the United States each year. That total includes Clostridioides difficile (C. diff), a severe intestinal illness that takes hold when strong antibiotics wipe out the beneficial, protective microbes in the digestive tract. Alongside the human toll, these healthcare-associated infections cost the U.S. medical system nearly $12 billion in 2023 alone.
The CDC currently tracks 19 priority pathogens across three threat levels (urgent, serious, and concerning), as well as six emerging microbes monitored for broader public health risk. While revised reporting standards make direct numerical comparisons to earlier reports difficult, the clinical reality is straightforward: when treatments fail, illnesses last longer, hospital stays stretch out, and available therapies dwindle.
What exactly is a Superbug, and why are our go-to antibiotics failing?
A common misconception is that human bodies build up a tolerance to antibiotics over time. In reality, our bodies do not become immune to the medicine – the bacteria and fungi themselves mutate to survive chemical attack.
“Antimicrobial resistance is a natural process,” explains Dr. Justus Rabach, a clinical medicine and surgery specialist. “If a population of germs comes into contact with an antibiotic or antifungal, susceptible germs may die. But germs can be naturally resistant or develop resistance, surviving and multiplying. They can then transmit resistance characteristics to subsequent generations or, in the case of bacteria, directly to other bacteria.”
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), antibiotics do not create resistance on purpose. Instead, they act as an evolutionary filter: they eliminate defenseless germs while leaving behind mutated or naturally shielded survivors to multiply.
Because bacteria adapt quickly, reliable frontline defenses like penicillin are failing against increasingly resilient strains.
When routine options no longer work, doctors are forced to rely on broad-spectrum alternatives such as carbapenems. These are powerful, “last-resort” intravenous antibiotics typically reserved for severe, life-threatening hospital infections when standard treatments have proven useless.
As pathogens develop defenses against even these emergency options, clinical solutions become dangerously scarce. Keeping pace with these evolving microbes requires researchers to both fine-tune existing medications and speed up the search for entirely new classes of drugs before our current defenses lose their edge completely.
The “urgent” threat list: From fungal infections to drug-resistant gonorrhea
The CDC considers four pathogens to be in the highest risk category and calls them an “urgent” threat. Prominent prevention, surveillance and treatment of these infections is needed.
- Candida auris: A growing multidrug-resistant fungus that can lead to serious infections of the blood or wounds, mostly in people in hospitals or nursing homes. The number of reported clinical cases jumped over 50% from 2022 to 2023. C. auris can be transmitted via contaminated health care surfaces and equipment. Some individuals also have the fungus on their skin without any symptoms. Many U.S. samples were resistant to the commonly used antifungal drug, fluconazole, according to the CDC.
- Neisseria gonorrhoeae: In 2023, there were an estimated 787,000 infections of the sexually transmitted gonorrhea bacteria that were resistant to treatment. Healthcare workers have limited options as bacteria become resistant to available treatment methods. Left untreated or improperly cleared, drug-resistant gonorrhea can lead to severe reproductive health consequences, including pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), ectopic pregnancy, chronic pelvic pain and permanent infertility.
- Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales (CRE): A family of germs that includes resistant forms of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. CDC data indicates that in 2023, CRE infected an estimated 14,878 hospitalized patients and caused 1,252 deaths. Carbapenems represent medicine’s heavy artillery—intravenous “last-resort” antibiotics reserved for life-threatening hospital infections when standard oral medications fail. Certain CRE strains produce specialized chemical defenses that directly dismantle and neutralize carbapenem molecules, disarming healthcare providers against aggressive bloodstream and organ infections.
- Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter: A group of bacteria that is usually associated with very unwell people, for example, those in hospital who are receiving mechanical ventilation or intravenous treatment. The CDC estimates that 817 people died in 2023 due to these infections. Some strains are almost resistant to all available antibiotics, making them very hard to treat.
Where you are most at risk
Although drug-resistant infections are most likely to happen in health care facilities, resistant germs can be transmitted in the community.
Using indwelling urinary catheters and having surgical wounds increases a patient’s risk of infection. Patients with weak immune systems face an even greater danger in hospitals and clinics. They can pick up infections such as Candida auris and CRE from contaminated equipment and surfaces in the clinical environment.
Drug-resistant bacteria are also a major problem outside of hospitals. The CDC is currently concerned about a type of bacteria called meningococcus that medicine can no longer easily kill. This germ spreads through close contact, such as kissing, or by sharing tight living spaces, like college dorms. The infection can cause serious illness, including dangerous bloodstream infections and meningitis.
Health authorities are also on the lookout for new strains of ringworm, a common fungal infection of the skin. Some new forms of this fungus are not as easy to treat with the typical creams or medicines. This problem may occur when antifungal medications are not used correctly or when they are combined with steroid creams. Doctors must conduct additional medical tests to determine how to treat ringworm if the condition persists.
The Z-Pak problem: How antibiotic overuse is fueling the crisis
One of the main causes of antimicrobial resistance is the misuse of antibiotics, such as azithromycin, which is often marketed as Z-Pak.
Antibiotics have a specific target within the structure and processes of a bacterium. They are ineffective against viruses. A person who takes an antibiotic for a viral disease, such as the cold or flu, does not get better from the drug or see the duration of the disease reduced.
Rather, it unnecessarily exposes the body’s bacteria to the drug. Susceptible bacteria can be killed, and resistant bacteria grow and multiply. Some resistant bacteria can also transfer their resistance to other bacteria.
According to the Mayo Clinic, unrestricted antibiotic use can disrupt beneficial bacteria and contribute to the development of resistance. The more that is used, the more the pressure builds, which may allow resistant bacteria to become more common.
How to protect yourself and your family right now
Consistent daily hygiene, proactive communication with healthcare providers and adherence to preventive health measures are all important in addressing antimicrobial resistance.
Handwashing with soap and running water for 20 seconds or more is an effective barrier against the spread of many infectious germs. If soap and water are not available, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol may help.
Keeping vaccinations up to date also decreases the risk of infections. Some serious diseases can be prevented by vaccines against bacterial pathogens such as pneumococci and meningococci. COVID-19 and flu vaccines reduce the risk of contracting those illnesses and their complications.
If prescribed an antimicrobial drug, follow the directions for its use and take the correct dosage. Never discontinue, lengthen or alter treatment without consulting. Do not use leftover antibiotics on a different occasion; do not share with family members, and do not use antimicrobial prescription creams without medical advice.
If an infection does not respond to treatment, inquire about the need for more tests. A specimen may be sent to the laboratory for culture and susceptibility testing to identify the germ and what medications might be effective. These tests are not necessary for all infections, but may be useful if resistance is suspected.
Bottom line
According to the CDC’s new 2026 report, drug-resistant bacteria and fungi cause over 39,000 deaths and over 9.3 million infections each year in the U.S. With the addition of C. diff, the total is 9.7 million infections and 50,800 deaths. Resistance can be slowed by practicing good hand hygiene, ensuring vaccinations are up to date, and using antibiotics only as prescribed by a health care professional and only when medically necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common superbug?
There is no single most common superbug across all settings, but methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major drug-resistant bacterium found in both healthcare facilities and communities.
How do you know if you have a superbug?
Symptoms alone cannot confirm a drug-resistant infection; healthcare professionals may use laboratory cultures and antimicrobial susceptibility testing to identify the germ and determine which medicines can treat it.
Citations
CDC. About Antimicrobial Resistance. Antimicrobial Resistance. January 31, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/antimicrobial-resistance/about/index.html
Cleveland Clinic. Superbugs: Causes, Symptoms, Treatments & Examples. Cleveland Clinic. July 24, 2024. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/superbug
Elbaiomy RG, El‐Sappah AH, Guo R, et al. Antibiotic Resistance: A Genetic and Physiological Perspective. MedComm. 2025;6(11). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12579171/
CDC. Candida auris. 2009. https://arpsp.cdc.gov/artr/cauris7.Mayo Clinic. Antibiotics: Are You Misusing Them? Mayo Clinic. April 9, 2022. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/antibiotics/art-20045720