Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) SOPs

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST)

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

• Essential for ensuring accurate and reliable AST results
• SOPs should cover:
  • Inoculum preparation and standardization
  • Media preparation and quality control
  • Inoculation and incubation conditions
  • Reading and interpretation of results
  • Quality control and quality assurance procedures
• SOPs should be reviewed and updated regularly to ensure compliance with international standards and guidelines

Cascade Reporting

• A reporting system that provides a hierarchical approach to reporting AST results
• Results are reported in a step-wise manner, with the most critical information presented first
• Typically includes:
  1. Susceptible or Resistant categorization
  2. MIC (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration) value
  3. Interpretive criteria (e.g. S, I, R)
  4. Comments or Footnotes (e.g. therapy recommendations)

Report Tiers

• A system used to categorize AST results into different levels of complexity
• Typically includes:
  1. Tier 1: Simple susceptible/resistant categorization
  2. Tier 2: Includes MIC values and interpretive criteria
  3. Tier 3: Includes additional information such as therapy recommendations and comments
• Report tiers help ensure that clinicians receive the necessary information to guide patient treatment

Therapy-Related Comments

• AST reports may include comments or footnotes that provide additional information to guide therapy
• Examples of therapy-related comments:
  • "Consider combination therapy for severe infections"
  • "Monitor for potential toxicity with high-dose therapy"
  • "Reserve this agent for life-threatening infections only"
• These comments help clinicians make informed decisions about patient treatment and improve patient outcomes

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST)

• Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are essential for ensuring accurate and reliable AST results
• SOPs should cover various aspects, including:
  • Inoculum preparation and standardization
  • Media preparation and quality control
  • Inoculation and incubation conditions
  • Reading and interpretation of results
  • Quality control and quality assurance procedures
• SOPs should be reviewed and updated regularly to ensure compliance with international standards and guidelines

Cascade Reporting

• A hierarchical approach to reporting AST results, with the most critical information presented first
• Typically includes:
  • Susceptible or Resistant categorization
  • MIC (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration) value
  • Interpretive criteria (e.g. S, I, R)
  • Comments or Footnotes (e.g. therapy recommendations)

Report Tiers

• A system used to categorize AST results into different levels of complexity
• Typically includes:
  • Tier 1: Simple susceptible/resistant categorization
  • Tier 2: Includes MIC values and interpretive criteria
  • Tier 3: Includes additional information such as therapy recommendations and comments
• Report tiers help ensure that clinicians receive the necessary information to guide patient treatment

Therapy-Related Comments

• AST reports may include comments or footnotes that provide additional information to guide therapy
• Examples of therapy-related comments:
  • "Consider combination therapy for severe infections"
  • "Monitor for potential toxicity with high-dose therapy"
  • "Reserve this agent for life-threatening infections only"
• These comments help clinicians make informed decisions about patient treatment and improve patient outcomes