colistin

[ kuh-lis-tin ]
/ kəˈlɪs tɪn /

noun Pharmacology.

a toxic antibiotic polypeptide, C45H85O10N13, produced by the bacterium Bacillus colistinus, used in sulfate form against a broad spectrum of microorganisms and in the treatment of severe gastroenteritis.

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. -in2

Words nearby colistin

colin, colinear, colipase, coliphage, coliseum, colistin, colitis, colitoxemia, coliuria, coll' arco, coll-

Medical definitions for colistin

colistin
[ kə-lĭs′tĭn, kō- ]

n.

An antibiotic produced by the bacterium Bacillus polymyxa or B. colistinus that is effective against a range of gram-negative bacteria and is used especially in the treatment of infections of the gastrointestinal tract.