Glossarium

Substance (including natural and synthetic products) that kills or inhibits the growth of organisms such as bacteria, fungi, viruses or parasites. CIPARS (2005)

A substance that kills or suppresses the multiplication of any kind of microscopic organism (ie, bacteria, virus, fungi, protozoan, mange, etc.). As there is no specification of harmlessness for the host, this term includes all antibiotics, ionophores and arsenicals, disinfectants and antiseptic agents. This term is used preferably with respect to resistance genes, some of which may act on different classes of substances. CVMA (PUGS 2008)

An antimicrobial is an agent that kills microorganisms or stops their growth. Antimicrobial medicines can be grouped according to the microorganisms they act primarily against. For example, antibiotics are used against bacteria and antifungals are used against fungi. They can also be classified according to their function. Agents that kill microbes are called microbicidal, while those that merely inhibit their growth are called biostatic. The use of antimicrobial medicines to treat infection is known as antimicrobial chemotherapy, while the use of antimicrobial medicines to prevent infection is known as antimicrobial prophylaxis. Wikipedia

An antimicrobial is a pharmaceutical (drug) or non-pharmaceutical substance (e.g. salt) substance that kills (microbiocide) or slows (microbiostatic) the growth of microbes such as bacteria (antibacterial activity), fungi (antimycotic activity), viruses (antiviral activity), or parasites (antiparasitic activity). CDPQ Team