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TESTING
DEFINITION
SENSITIVITY TESTING
It is the degree of activity of the selected
antimicrobial agent against the infecting
bacterial strains.
INTRODUCTION
Usually almost all the bacteria in infectious
disease are drug resistant.
Hence sensitivity test is performed to select
the correct antimicrobial drug of choice.
It may also help to identify the pathogen.
LIMITATIONS
o It helps us to measure only the antimicrobial
activity against a bacteria under laboratory
conditions and not in the patients.
o The patients clinical condition, type and site
of infection, drug hypersensitivity, ADME,
characters of the patients are not taken in to
consideration in sensitivity testing techniques.
Sensitivity testing can be performed by
Diffusion technique and
Dilution technique
1. Agar diffusion sensitivity test
A disc of blotting paper is impregnated with a
known volume and appropriate concentration
of antimicrobial placed on a plate of sensitivity
agar inoculated with test organism.
The antimicrobial diffuses from the disc in to
the medium. After 24 hours, the culture is
examined for areas of growth around the disc.
Growth for sensitive strains are inhibited for a
distance while for resistant strains it grows up
to the edge of the disc.
The zone of inhibition caused by the
antimicrobial is compared with the control.
The volume, moisture content, PH,
constituent of agar medium, concentration,
storage and application of dose influence the
diffusion technique.
Agar diffusion sensitivity tests are carried out
either by Kirby-Bauer (KB) method, ICS
method or by Stocks method.
Modified KB method is recommended by the
National Committee for clinical Laboratory
Standards (NCCLS) and the WHO.
2. DILUTION SENSITIVITY TESTS.
Dilution sensitivity tests usually measures the
minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) or
minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC)
required to kill the bacteria.
Here dilutions of antimicrobials are added to
the broth or agar.
A standardised inoculum of test organism is
added.
After overnight the lowest antimicrobial required
to prevent visible growth is taken in to
consideration.
Dilution technique needs
Careful standardization
Broth and agar medium
Antimicrobial solution
Incubation time and
Dilution time
General requirements for sensitivity testing.
1.Sensitivity testing agar.
Suitable media include Mueller Hinton
agar, Iso sensitest agar and Gibco sensitivity
testing agar no.2.
Mueller Hinton agar(MHA)
Composition
Meat infusion 2.0 g/l
Casein hydrolysate 17.5 g/l
Starch 1.5 g/l
Agar-agar 13.0 g/l
2.ANTIMICROBIAL DISC
This disc should be refrigerated at a
temperature instructed by the manufacturer.
This should not be used after expiry date.
The working stock disc should be warmed to
room temperature, avoid keeping in direct
sunlight.
ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE