Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing

Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing is a laboratory technique used to determine the effectiveness of antibiotics against specific bacterial or fungal infections. It helps guide clinicians in choosing the most appropriate treatment.

Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing is crucial because it helps in tailoring antibiotic treatment to the specific pathogen causing an infection, reducing the risk of treatment failure and the development of antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotic susceptibility tests involve growing the infectious agent in the presence of different antibiotics to see which one inhibits its growth. The results are interpreted as "sensitive," "intermediate," or "resistant."

The time varies depending on the method used, but it can take anywhere from 24 hours to several days to obtain results. Faster methods like E-test or automated systems may yield results more quickly.