colistin

[ kuh-lis-tin ]

noun

, Pharmacology.

1. a toxic antibiotic polypeptide, C 45 H 85 O 10 N 13 , produced by the bacterium Bacillus colistinus, used in sulfate form against a broad spectrum of microorganisms and in the treatment of severe gastroenteritis.

Word History and Origins

Origin of colistin¹

1950–55; < New Latin colistinus epithet for a variety of Bacillus polymyxa, equivalent to coli- ( coliform ) + -stinus, apparently an arbitrarily chosen suffix; -in ²

Example Sentences

In the new study, Hiller and colleagues exposed bits of cell membrane from Escherichia coli to varying concentrations of colistin.

From Science News