colistin

American  

[kuh-lis-tin] / kəˈlɪs tɪn /

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.

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Etymology

Origin of colistin

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

Example Sentences

For example, colistin, one of the few gram-negative-only antibiotics approved for clinical use, can cause C. difficile-associated diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis, a potentially life-threatening complication.

From Science Daily • May 29, 2024

That includes in Los Angeles, where a resident who died in 2016 was found to have been infected with E. coli bacteria that carried a colistin resistance gene.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2023

Recent CDC data shows that 90% of U.S. hospitals have stopped using colistin, said agency spokesperson Martha Sharan.

From Salon • Jul. 17, 2022

Describe the possible biological consequences of an immediate ban on the use of colistin in agriculture.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

“If we lose colistin, as several experts are predicting, we lose our last medicine for a number of serious infections.”

From New York Times • Feb. 27, 2017