Minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC)

The minimum concentration of an antibacterial agent required to kill a bacterium.

The MBC is the lowest concentration over a fixed period (usually 18 to 24 hours) under defined laboratory conditions that demonstrates a pre-determined reduction in CFU/ml (at least 99.9%). The MBC is complementary to the MIC; where the MIC indicates growth inhibition, MCB indicates bacterial kill.

Clinical Relevance of Bacteriostatic versus Bactericidal Mechanisms of Action in the Treatment of Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections (Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2004)

Establishing the Minimal Bactericidal Concentration of an Antimicrobial Agent for Planktonic Cells and Biofilm Cells (Journal of Visualized Experiments, 2014)

Minimum Inhibitory (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) Evaluations as R&D Tools (Q Laboratories, 2022)