Application and Interpretation of Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

Abstract

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) is an important component of antimicrobial stewardship. This article discusses how AST methods and breakpoints are developed, describes when AST may or may not be useful in clinical practice, and discusses how to interpret AST results from bacterial isolates from cattle, sheep, and goats. Discussion of when AST is not appropriate or when veterinarians should have low confidence in AST results is also included. Applicability of genomic testing for antimicrobial susceptibility is briefly addressed.

Keywords: Antimicrobial susceptibility testing; Bacterial infections; Breakpoints; Diagnostic laboratory; Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic integration; Pharmacokinetics.