Antibiogram

Antibiotic sensitivity or antibiotic susceptibility is the susceptibility of bacteria to antibiotics. Antibiotic sensitivity or antibiotic susceptibility is the susceptibility of bacteria to antibiotics. In clinical practice, antibiotics are most frequently prescribed on the basis of general guidelines and knowledge about sensitivity: e.g. uncomplicated urinary tract infections can be treated with a first generation quinolone, etc. This is because Escherichia coli is the most likely causative pathogen, and it is known to be sensitive to quinolone treatment. However, many bacteria are known to be resistant to several classes of antibiotics, and treatment is not so straightforward. Because susceptibility can vary even within a species (with some strains being more resistant than others), antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) is usually carried out to determine which antibiotic will be most successful in treating a bacterial infection in vivo.