Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

Explain the clinical importance of timely, accurate bacterial identification and AST for antimicrobial selection, patient outcomes, antimicrobial stewardship, and infection-control decisions.

Prepare a standardized bacterial inoculum that meets automated-system requirements.

Compare conventional bacterial identification and AST methods with automated approaches by analytical principle, turnaround time, strengths, limitations, and confirmatory role.

Resolve a mixed-culture automated result through plate review, re-isolation, repeat identification, and repeat AST.

Choose among repeat testing, an alternative method, a reference method, and molecular confirmation for a questionable automated result.

Create a 35-slide storyboard that allocates content and speaking time to clinical importance, specimen requirements, laboratory workflow, conventional and automated methods, interpretation, limitations, safety, QA/QC, equipment controls, and a discussion case.