antimicrobial susceptibility testing
EpidemiologySpecies Identification and Antibiotic Resistance Prediction by Analysis of Whole-Genome Sequence Data by Use of ARESdb: an Analysis of Isolates from the Unyvero Lower Respiratory Tract Infection TrialWhole-genome sequencing (WGS) is now routinely performed in clinical microbiology laboratories to assess isolate relatedness. With appropriately developed analytics, the same data can be used for prediction of antimicrobial susceptibility. We assessed WGS data for identification using open-source tools and antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) prediction using ARESdb compared to matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of...
MinireviewExpanding U.S. Laboratory Capacity for Neisseria gonorrhoeae Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing and Whole-Genome Sequencing through the CDC's Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory NetworkU.S. gonorrhea rates are rising, and antibiotic-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae (AR-Ng) is an urgent public health threat. Since implementation of nucleic acid amplification tests for N. gonorrhoeae identification, the capacity for culturing...
BacteriologyHelicobacter pylori Infections in the Bronx, New York: Surveying Antibiotic Susceptibility and Strain Lineage by Whole-Genome SequencingThe emergence of drug resistance in Helicobacter pylori has resulted in a greater need for susceptibility-guided treatment. While the alleles associated with resistance to clarithromycin and levofloxacin have been defined, there are limited data regarding the molecular mechanisms underlying resistance to other antimicrobials. Using...
BacteriologyMulticenter Evaluation of the New Etest Gradient Diffusion Method for Piperacillin-Tazobactam Susceptibility Testing of Enterobacterales, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii ComplexPiperacillin-tazobactam (P/T) is a β-lactam–β-lactamase inhibitor combination frequently used in the hospital setting. Etest is a gradient diffusion method that represents an alternative to broth microdilution (BMD) for performing antimicrobial susceptibility testing. We conducted a multicenter evaluation of the performance of the new P/T Etest compared to that of BMD following U.S.
BacteriologyEvaluation of Calcium-Enhanced Media for Colistin Susceptibility Testing by Gradient Agar Diffusion and Broth Microdilution...Despite the increasing reliance on polymyxin antibiotics (polymyxin B and colistin) for treatment of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative infections, many clinical laboratories are unable to perform susceptibility testing due to the lack of accurate and reliable methods. Although gradient agar diffusion is commonly performed for other antimicrobials, its use for polymyxins is discouraged due to poor performance characteristics.
CommentaryBringing Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing for New Drugs into the Clinical Laboratory: Removing Obstacles in Our Fight against Multidrug-Resistant PathogensThere are now several new antibiotics available to treat multidrug-resistant pathogens, and susceptibility testing methods for these drugs are increasingly available at the time of drug approval. However, lack of clarity regarding verification requirements remains a formidable barrier to introducing such testing in clinical laboratories, making these drugs practically unavailable for patient use.
MinireviewUnderstanding and Addressing CLSI Breakpoint Revisions: a Primer for Clinical LaboratoriesThe Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) has revised several breakpoints since 2010 for bacteria that grow aerobically. In 2019, these revisions include changes to the ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin breakpoints for the Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, daptomycin...
BacteriologyEvaluation of the MicroScan Colistin Well and Gradient Diffusion Strips for Colistin Susceptibility Testing in EnterobacteriaceaeMany laboratories are unable to perform colistin susceptibility testing. Diffusion-based antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods are not recommended, and not all laboratories have the capacity to perform broth microdilution (BMD).
Mycobacteriology and Aerobic ActinomycetesImplementation of Semiautomated Antimicrobial Susceptibility Interpretation Hardware for Nontuberculous Mycobacteria May Overestimate Susceptibility...Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) cause severe opportunistic infections and have a rising incidence in most settings. Rising diagnostic need must be met by national reference laboratories, which rely on Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guideline-approved manual readout of microtiter plates for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) to determine antibiotic minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs).
