The production of KPC (Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase) is the major mechanism of resistance to carbapenem agents in enterobacterias. In this context, forty KPC-producing Enterobacter spp. clinical isolates were studied. It was evaluated the activity of antimicrobial agents: polymyxin B, tigecycline, ertapenem, imipenem and meropenem, and was performed a comparison of the methodologies used...

The autoSCAN-3, an instrument for the automated reading and interpretation of Microscan microdilution trays, was evaluated for its ability to identify gram-negative bacilli. The results obtained by the visual reading of microdilution trays were compared with the results obtained with the machine. A total 387 clinical isolates of Enterobacteriaceae and nonfermenters were compared by both methods...

We compared the E-test to the broth microdilution method for testing the susceptibility of 115 clinical isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii to colistin. Twenty-two (19.1%) strains were resistant to colistin and 93 (80.8%) strains were susceptible according to the reference broth microdilution method. A categorical agreement of 98.2% was found, with only two (1.7%) very major errors. Agreement w...

Standard broth microdilution (with and without bovine serum albumin [BSA] supplementation), tube dilution, and agar dilution susceptibility tests were compared for determining ramoplanin MICs. With a data base of 246 clinical isolates of gram-positive bacteria from 33 U.S. sites, it was shown that (i) agar and tube dilution susceptibility tests gave essentially the same results (93.9% of the te...

We examined the reliability and accuracy of a colorimetric assay using Alamar Blue reagent in the performance of susceptibility tests for Candida albicans. We compared the broth macrodilution method recommended by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) with a macrodilution method modified with the Alamar reagent and a microdilution method modified with the Alamar reage...

This three-center collaborative study was conducted to evaluate samples of the Microbial Profile System (MPS) antimicrobial microdilution panels [previously produced by Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co., (3M Co.), St. Paul, Minn. and currently produced by Flow Laboratories, Inc., Rockville, Md.). This was a three-phase study. In phase I, the inter- and intralaboratory agreement was determine...

We performed Etest, disk diffusion, and broth microdilution susceptibility testing of 2,171 clinical isolates of Candida spp. against posaconazole. By using provisional breakpoints for comparison purposes only, the categorical agreement between the agar-based methods and broth microdilution results ranged from 93 to 98%, with <1% very major errors. The essential agreement (within 2 well dilutio...

To perform microdilution antimicrobial susceptibility tests efficiently, broth dilutions of the antimicrobial drugs should be prepared in large batches and stored frozen until needed. Studies were carried out to document the stability of ampicillin, benzylpenicillin, carbenicillin, methicillin, oxacillin, nafcillin, and cephalothin in microdilution trays during storage at -20 and -60 C. No sign...

Inoculum size and incubation time were varied during broth microdilution testing of the susceptibilities of 35 strains of lactic acid bacteria to six antibiotics. An increase in either parameter resulted in elevated MICs for all species. An inoculum of 3 x 10(5) CFU/ml is recommended to assess the antibiotic susceptibilities of these bacteria by using broth microdilution.