minimum bactericidal concentration


minimum bactericidal concentration

The lowest concentration of an antibiotic that is bactericidal to ≥ 99.9% of an original inoculum.
MBC is a form of antibiotic susceptibility testing in which an antimicrobial agent in broth is serially diluted, or titrated in a standardised (McFarland) suspension of bacteria; tubes in which there is no growth are subcultured in an antibiotic-free growth medium. The MBC may vary as a function of certain intrinsic features of the bacterium.

minimum bactericidal concentration

Lab medicine The lowest concentration of an antibiotic that is bactericidal to ≥ 99.9% of an original inoculum. See Persistence phenomenon, Paradoxic effect, and Tolerance.

minimum bactericidal concentration

The lowest concentration of an antimicrobial that kills a defined fraction of bacteria or fungi. Synonym: minimum lethal concentrationSee also: concentration