Methodology of Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing

Antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) is an analytical laboratory method used to determine the effectiveness of antimicrobial drugs, such as antibiotics, in inhibiting the growth of bacterial strains. It provides an important clinical tool to healthcare professionals, allowing them to assess and select the most effective antibiotic for treating specific infections. The methodology of AST involves incubating isolated bacterial colonies in drug containing media and observing the growth, or lack of it, relative to untreated media. By correlating these results to the standard concentration of drugs in the medium, the bacterial sensitivity to the drug can be determined and the most effective antibiotics can be selected for treatment.