Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) Test

Summary of Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) Test

In microbiology, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) is a test used to determine the lowest concentration of an antimicrobial agent that inhibits the visible growth of a challenge microorganisms. In order to establish the MIC, the antibacterial agent is incubated with the challenge microorganism within the dilution range, usually at a suspension concentration of one million colony forming units (CFU) per milliliter (mL). The growth of microorganisms is determined by the turbidity of the solution. Due to the presence of microorganisms, the test sample that exhibits no antimicrobial activity will be turbid (which means that the microorganisms have grown to a high level), and the test wells that remain clear after incubation indicate that the microorganisms may have been killed by the antimicrobial agent. But it may also contain original low-level inoculum of viable microorganisms. Therefore, scientists use MIC determination as an indicator of inhibitory activity rather than biocidal activity.

Experimental Steps of Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) Test Provided by Creative BioMart Microbe

A pure culture of a single microorganism is cultivated in an appropriate broth.

Standardize the culture to have a concentration of very near 1 million cells per milliliter.

Use a sterile diluent (usually Mueller-Hinton broth) to dilute the antimicrobial agent several times, usually 1:1.

After dilution, a standardized inoculum equal to the volume of the diluted antimicrobial agent is added to each dilution vessel, so that the microorganism concentration is about 0.5 million cells per milliliter.

The inoculated, serially diluted antimicrobial agent is incubated at an appropriate temperature for the test organism for a preset time (usually 18 hours).

After incubation, observe the growth of microorganisms, usually judged by the turbidity and/or microorganism pellet at the bottom of the vessel. The last tube in the dilution series that showed no growth corresponds to the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the antimicrobial agent.

Advantages of the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) Test

• The MIC test is relatively simple, easy to perform, highly repeatable, and requires little preparation.
• The MIC test can be performed on a very small scale without using too many samples of antimicrobial agents.

Disadvantages of the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) Test

• Small changes in MIC test parameters will have a significant impact on the experimental results.
• The results of the MIC study must be evaluated in the appropriate context.

Creative BioMart Microbe recruited many professional technical personnel and established a powerful technology platform, aiming to provide customers with comprehensive and high-quality minimum inhibitory concentration tests. In addition, we also provide many disinfectant testing experiments to meet the needs of customers in different industries to the greatest extent.

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