Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), Minimum Bactericidal Concentration, and Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC) are high-throughput tests used to assess the susceptibility of actively growing microorganisms, in a planktonic state, to antibiotics and antimicrobial agents. This simultaneously tests multiple concentrations of an antimicrobial agent to determine dose mapping before moving on with product development.
We have standard test microorganisms such as Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, etc. In addition, clinical and environmental isolates and a variety of other strains are available for selection.
This testing is the ideal first step in determining the minimum concentration of antimicrobial is required to be effective against the selected microorganisms prior to incorporating it into your devices. These tests can provide information that is crucial for understanding the feasibility and costs associated with using a particular antimicrobial agent or disinfectant.
For this testing, we will typically follow the CLSI (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute) method but can also use other methods upon request.
Broth microdilution is the primary testing method used here, and other methods can be performed upon request.
Visual scoring will be used to determine the MIC cutoff, and OD measurements can also be taken. If quantitative comparison is desired, microbial killing or inhibition can be quantified at each concentration tested rather than only determining the MIC breakpoint.
