The clinical microbiology laboratory is often a sentinel for the detection of drug resistant strains of microorganisms. Standardized protocols require continual scrutiny to detect emerging phenotypic resistance patterns. The timely notification of clinicians with susceptibility results can initiate the alteration of antimicrobial chemotherapy and improve patient care. It is vital that microbiology laboratories stay current with standard and emerging methods and have a solid understanding of their function in the war on infectious diseases.

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Protocols clearly defines the role of the clinical microbiology laboratory in integrated patient care and provides a comprehensive, up-to-date procedural manual that can be used by a wide variety of laboratorians. The authors provide a comprehensive, up-to-date procedural manual including protocols for bioassay methods and molecular methods for bacterial strain typing. Divided into three sections, the text begins by introducing basic susceptibility disciplines including disk diffusion, macro and microbroth dilution, agar dilution, and the gradient method. It covers step-by-step protocols with an emphasis on optimizing the detection of resistant microorganisms. The second section describes specialized susceptibility protocols such as surveillance procedures for detection of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, serum bactericidal assays, time-kill curves, population analysis, and synergy testing. The final section is designed to be used as a reference resource. Chapters cover antibiotic development; design and use of an antibiogram; and the interactions of the clinical microbiology laboratory with the hospital pharmacy, and infectious disease and control.

Unique in its scope, Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Protocols gives laboratory personnel an integrated resource for updated lab-based techniques and charts within the contextual role of clinical microbiology in modern medicine.