A general term referring to several categories of drugs, including antibiotics, antifungals, antiprotozoals, and antivirals. The most important characteristic of an antimicrobial agent is that it acts to inhibit or kill a target pathogen, or disease-causing entity, but has no toxic effect on the host. Antimicrobials affect the biochemical processes of microbes, but not those of humans or other animals.
An antimicrobial is a substance or action that has the ability to eliminate or hinder the growth of microorganisms.