Antimicrobial describes a substance or medicine that acts against microorganisms or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites.
Antimicrobials include several major groups of medicines: antibiotics act against bacteria, antivirals against viruses, antifungals against fungi, and antiparasitic medicines against parasites. Antimalarial medicines are therefore a type of antimicrobial medicine.
Some antimicrobial substances kill microorganisms, while others inhibit their growth or replication. Their effectiveness depends on factors such as the organism involved, the medicine’s mechanism of action, susceptibility or resistance, and how the medicine is used.
QUICK FACT
Antibiotic is narrower than antimicrobial. Every antibiotic is an antimicrobial, but not every antimicrobial is an antibiotic.
COMMONLY CONFUSED WITH
Antibiotic: Antibiotics specifically target bacteria, whereas antimicrobial is the broader term covering medicines and substances that act against a wider range of microorganisms and infectious agents.
SEE ALSO
