Which term describes an antimicrobial that kills bacteria directly?

Which term describes an antimicrobial that kills bacteria directly?

• A. Bacteriostatic
• B. Bactericidal
• C. Kirby-Bauer Test
• D. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC)

Answer: (B)

Bactericidal means the antimicrobial kills bacteria directly rather than merely stopping their growth. Some drugs are bacteriostatic and prevent bacteria from multiplying, giving the immune system a chance to clear the infection. For example, certain antibiotics inhibit protein synthesis and are typically static, while others, like many antibiotics that disrupt the cell wall, actively cause bacterial death. The Kirby-Bauer test is a method to assess how well a drug inhibits growth on a plate, not how it kills. The minimum inhibitory concentration measures the lowest drug concentration that prevents visible growth, which describes inhibition, not necessarily killing. So the term that specifically describes an antimicrobial that kills bacteria directly is bactericidal.

Bactericidal means the antimicrobial kills bacteria directly rather than merely stopping their growth. Some drugs are bacteriostatic and prevent bacteria from multiplying, giving the immune system a chance to clear the infection. For example, certain antibiotics inhibit protein synthesis and are typically static, while others, like many antibiotics that disrupt the cell wall, actively cause bacterial death. The Kirby-Bauer test is a method to assess how well a drug inhibits growth on a plate, not how it kills. The minimum inhibitory concentration measures the lowest drug concentration that prevents visible growth, which describes inhibition, not necessarily killing. So the term that specifically describes an antimicrobial that kills bacteria directly is bactericidal.