A new study is exploring Auckland's sewers for antibiotic-resistant superbugs

Researchers will be looking into how many healthy and unwell people have these bugs without showing symptoms, and map where they are in the community.

Head researcher Dr Siouxsie Wiles says if successful, it could be used to map viral outbreaks such as the current Covid-19 crisis.

She says it will be interesting to know how many people have these bugs, and whether it can be spread.