1. An antibiotic drug derived from the bacterium Bacillus colistinus, used to treat infections caused by gram-negative bacteria, especially in cases resistant to other antibiotics.
Usage: medical/pharmaceutical term; also called polymyxin E; typically used in hospital settings for serious infections

Examples

• Colistin is often reserved for multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.
• The patient was prescribed colistin after standard antibiotics proved ineffective.
• Colistin has been used to combat carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae.
• Doctors must carefully monitor kidney function when administering colistin.
• Colistin resistance is an emerging concern in clinical microbiology.