A clinical microbiologist makes serial dilutions of several antimicrobics in broth, and then incubates each drug dilution series with a standard amount of a patient's isolated pathogen.What is this microbiologist setting up?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The microbiologist is setting up a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) test to determine the lowest concentration of drugs that can effectively inhibit the growth of the isolated pathogen. By making serial dilutions of the antimicrobics, the microbiologist can determine the MIC of each drug for the pathogen. The Kirby-Bauer technique, antibiogram, and E-test all involve different methods for testing the sensitivity of bacterial pathogens to antimicrobials, but they do not involve serial dilutions to determine the MIC. The therapeutic index (TI) is a measure of the safety and efficacy of a drug and is not directly related to the testing of isolated pathogens in the lab.

A Clinical Microbiologist Makes Serial Dilutions of Several Antimicrobics in Broth