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Antibiotic Sensitivity Test

An antibiotic sensitivity test determines which antibiotic will most effectively treat a bacterial infection by testing samples from the infected site against different antibiotics. The test exposes bacteria to concentrations of antibiotics to identify the minimum concentration that inhibits visible growth, with results describing whether the bacteria are susceptible, have intermediate sensitivity, or are resistant to each antibiotic. This helps clinicians select the most suitable treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections.

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84 views4 pages

Antibiotic Sensitivity Test

An antibiotic sensitivity test determines which antibiotic will most effectively treat a bacterial infection by testing samples from the infected site against different antibiotics. The test exposes bacteria to concentrations of antibiotics to identify the minimum concentration that inhibits visible growth, with results describing whether the bacteria are susceptible, have intermediate sensitivity, or are resistant to each antibiotic. This helps clinicians select the most suitable treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections.

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Antibiotic Sensitivity Test

Antibiotics are medicines used to fight bacterial infections. There are different types of
antibiotics. Each type is only effective against certain bacteria. An antibiotic sensitivity test can
help find out which antibiotic will be most effective in treating your infection. The test can also
be helpful in finding a treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections. Antibiotic resistance happens
when standard antibiotics become less effective or ineffective against certain bacteria. Antibiotic
resistance can turn once easily treatable diseases into serious, even life-threatening illnesses.
Other names: antibiotic susceptibility test, sensitivity testing, antimicrobial susceptibility test.

What is it used for?


An antibiotic sensitivity test is used to help find the best treatment for a bacterial infection. It
may also be used to find out which treatment will work best on certain fungal infections.

What happens during an antibiotic sensitivity test?


The test is done by taking a sample from the infected site. The most common types of tests are
listed below.
Blood culture
A health care professional will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm, using a small needle.
After the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood will be collected into a test tube or vial.
Urine culture
Patients will provide a sterile sample of urine in a cup, as instructed by health care provider.
Wound culture
Patients health care provider will use a special swab to collect a sample from the site of your
wound.
Sputum culture
Patients may be asked to cough up sputum into a special cup, or a special swab may be used to
take a sample from your nose.
Throat culture
Patients health care provider will insert a special swab into your mouth to take a sample from the
back of the throat and tonsils.
Disk diffusion antibiotic sensitivity testing
 test which uses antibiotic-impregnated wafers to test whether particular bacteria are
susceptible to specific antibiotics.
 A known quantity of bacteria is grown on agar plates in the presence of thin wafers
containing relevant antibiotics.
 If the bacteria are susceptible to a particular antibiotic, an area of clearing surrounds the
wafer where bacteria are not capable of growing (called a zone of inhibition).

 The test is performed under standardized conditions and standard zones of inhibition have
been established for each antibiotic.
 If the zone of inhibition is equal to or greater than the standard, the organism is considered
to be sensitive to the antibiotic.
 If the zone of inhibition is less than the standard, the organism is considered to be resistant.

MIC
 The basic quantitative measures of the in vitro activity of antibiotics are the minimum
inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC).
 The MIC is the lowest concentration of the antibiotic that results in inhibition of visible
growth (i.e. colonies on a plate or turbidity in broth culture) under standard conditions.
 The MBC is the lowest concentration of the antibiotic that kills 99.9% of the original
inoculum in a given time.

MIC – quantitative test


 A pure culture of a single microorganism is grown in Mueller-Hinton broth.
 A volume of the standardized inoculum is added to each dilution vessel.
 The inoculated, serially diluted antimicrobial agent is incubated at an appropriate
temperature for the test organism for a pre-set period, usually 18 hours.
 After incubation, the series of dilution vessels is observed for microbial growth, usually
indicated by turbidity and/or a pellet of microorganisms in the bottom of the vessel.
 The last tube in the dilution series that does not demonstrate growth corresponds with the
 minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the antimicrobial agent.
E test (Epsilometer test) – quantitative test
• test used to determine whether or not a specific strain of bacterium or fungus is susceptible to
the action of a specific antibiotic.
• The principle of the epsilometer test was first described in 1988.
E test - Principle
 The E test is basically an agar diffusion method.
 rectangular strip that has been impregnated with the drug to be studied.
 bacteria is spread and grown on an agar plate
 the E test strip is laid on top.
 the drug diffuses out into the agar, producing an exponential gradient of the drug to be tested.
There is an exponential scale printed on the strip.
 After 24 hours of incubation, an elliptical zone of inhibition is produced and the point at
which the ellipse meets the strip gives a reading for the minimum inhibitory concentration
(MIC) of the drug.

What do the results mean?


Results are usually described in one of the following ways:
Susceptible : The tested medicine stopped the growth or killed the bacteria or fungus causing
your infection. The medicine may be a good choice for treatment.
Intermediate.: The medicine may work at a higher dose.
Resistant.: The medicine did not stop the growth or kill the bacteria or fungus causing the
infection. It would not be a good choice for treatment.

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