what is mic in microbiology

what is mic in microbiology

1 year ago 62
Nature

In microbiology, MIC stands for Minimum Inhibitory Concentration, which is the lowest concentration of an antimicrobial agent expressed in mg/L (μg/mL) that, under strictly controlled in vitro conditions, completely prevents visible growth of the test strain of an organism/13%3A_Antimicrobial_Drugs/13.05%3A_Measuring_Drug_Susceptibility/13.5A%3A_Minimal_Inhibitory_Concentration_(MIC)). The MIC value is determined by preparing a dilution series of the chemical, adding agar or broth, then inoculating with bacteria or fungi, and incubating at a suitable temperature. The MIC value is used to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of various compounds by measuring the effect of decreasing concentrations of antibiotic/antiseptic over a defined period in terms of inhibition of microbial population growth. MICs are used by diagnostic laboratories mainly to confirm resistance, but most often as a research tool to determine the in vitro activity of new antimicrobials. The choice of antibiotic should be based on the MIC number, the site of infection, and an antibiotic’s breakpoint.

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