Detection Methods for Antibiotic Resistance

A more responsible use of antibiotics is an important approach required to prevent multi-resistant pathogens. For that one needs to identify the pathogen and also detect the respective antibiotic resistance. If we know about the vulnerability of the specific bacterium, a more targeted treatment is possible. In this video our guest speaker Esther (from iGEM Hamburg) presents three different methods to detect antimicrobial resistance.

1. Disc Diffusion method
2. E-Test
3. Colorimetric tests

References:

Interview with Prof. Dr. Axel Hamprecht (stellvertretender Vorsitzender des Nationalen Antibiotika-Sensititvitätstest-Komitees (NAK))

F.C. Tenover,Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing☆,Editor(s): Thomas M. Schmidt,
Encyclopedia of Microbiology (Fourth Edition),Academic Press,2019,Pages 166-175,

Support:

Music:
Corbyn Kites - Blurry Vision

Thanks for the great support and research: Esther Lange

Time Codes:
0:00 Introduction
0:29 Antibiotic Resistance
1:19 Why to prescribe the correct antibiotic
1:55 Disc Diffusion method
2:57 E-Test
4:32 Colorimetric tests

#Antibiotics #Resistance #Detection #antibioticresistance

[igemhamburg]

Thanks again for collaborating with us! We had a lot of fun working together with you! Hopefully we can raise awareness of antibiotic resistances and the difficulties that come with diagnosing and treating diseases caused by them. We‘re big fans of your channel, keep up the good work! 🙂

[simonwetzel]

Thank you very much for the video! 😊

In modern medical microbiological diagnostics, PCR methods are also used to detect known resistance genes. These methods are faster than culture-based MIC methods, but also have their limitations, as the resistance mechanisms are still unknown in many bacteria and, moreover, the genotype does not directly correspond to the phenotype of the bacteria.

It is also worth mentioning EUCAST, the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing, which sets clinically relevant thresholds for the MIC of the antibiotic in question to classify its efficacy as S, I, or R. Resistance tests, such as the E-test or the disc diffusion method, can also be used on samples from critically ill patients (e.g., patients with sepsis) to provide initial clues for more targeted antimicrobial treatment (within 24 hours). This is important as definitive identification of the responsible pathogens of an infection can often take several days with standard culture- and MALDI-based methods.

A modern facility for MIC determination is the VITEK method:
The key element is the VITEK cassette with 64 wells containing multiple different antibiotics and test substances. After inoculation of the isolated bacterial colony for several hours, the respective MIC for every antibiotic can be detected by optical turbidimetry.