As we continue further into the multidrug resistant era, it becomes necessary to develop a deeper understanding of how to perform and interpret antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The clinical microbiology laboratory provides valuable susceptibility data that can guide the selection of antibiotic regimens for patients with infections. When a specific microorganism is cultured, identification of the organism and antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) is performed. In terms of direct relevance to the management of infectious diseases, AST is arguably the single, most important activity carried out in the microbiology laboratory.
The ABC’s of MICs