Automated Identification and Susceptibility
Testing
Clinical Microbiology Review 231
Identification
Susceptibility
Features
Advantages
Limitations
Disposable cards or microtiter plates with freeze-dried conventional or fluorogenic substrates are inoculated & incu-
bated. Detection based on turbidity, colorimetry, or fluorescence. Panels available for ID of Enterobacteriaceae &
other GNR, Neisseria, Haemophilus, streptococci, enterococci, staphylococci, yeast, anaerobes.Broth with various dilutions of antibiotics are inoculated & incubated. Growth is determined by photometry, turbidity,
or fluorescence, depending on system.Walk-away capability, LIS interface, generation of institutional antibiograms (susceptibility data for most commonly
isolated organisms), epidemiology reports.Accuracy, shorter turnaround time, frees techs for other duties.Only for rapidly growing organisms. Not all microorganisms are in databases.