The Lowest Concentration of a Drug That Prevents Growth of a Microorganism

Question

The lowest concentration of a drug that prevents growth of a microorganism is the
A)infectious dose.
B)lethal dose.
C)effective dose.
D)minimum inhibitory concentration.

Accepted Answer

The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) is the lowest concentration of a drug that prevents visible growth of a microorganism in a culture. This is an important measure used in antibiotic susceptibility testing and determining the effectiveness of antimicrobial agents. The other choices (infectious dose, lethal dose, effective dose) refer to different measures of drug potency or microorganism infectivity/toxicity, but do not specifically relate to inhibition of growth.