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

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

The drug also has toxic effects on the liver and kidney, and "thus colistin is typically utilized only as an antibiotic of last resort," the researchers wrote.

From Science Daily

County wastewater that were resistant to colistin, a last-resort antibiotic.

From Los Angeles Times

Colistin is an old antibiotic that’s considered the last line of defense against certain infections, including those that are resistant to carbapenems, another last-resort class of antibiotics.

From Los Angeles Times

County wastewater samples, researchers detected two pathogens that not only are resistant to colistin but also have genes that should make them resistant to carbapenems, Smith said.

From Los Angeles Times