Laboratory determination of the effectiveness of specific antimicrobial agents against bacterial and fungal pathogens.
DST is crucial in guiding appropriate treatment and combating antibiotic resistance. It identifies effective treatment by determining which drugs a pathogen is sensitive or resistant to; it monitors resistance trends for public-health surveillance; and it underpins quality control of antimicrobial agents and testing procedures in clinical laboratories.
Broth dilution exposes the pathogen to varying antimicrobial concentrations in liquid medium to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Agar dilution performs the same on solid media. Disk diffusion (Kirby–Bauer) measures the zone of inhibition around antibiotic disks. The E-test uses a gradient strip — the point where growth intersects the strip indicates the MIC. Molecular methods such as PCR detect genetic markers associated with resistance.
ID Labs performs DST across these established methods, ensuring infections are treated with the most effective and appropriate antimicrobial agents.
Specimen requirements: data to be updated. Please contact ID Labs.
Container information: data to be updated.
Validated target list: data to be updated. Please contact ID Labs for the current configuration.
| Characteristic | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Analytical / clinical performance | Performance characteristics: please contact ID Labs — data to be updated. | ID Labs Validated Performance |
Any significant isolate where therapy decisions depend on susceptibility; surveillance of local resistance patterns; confirmation of molecular resistance results.
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2021
Curated peer-reviewed / authoritative reference. Open the source link for the full text.
World Health Organization · 2018
Curated peer-reviewed / authoritative reference. Open the source link for the full text.
Panel configuration, specimen logistics and turnaround details on request.
Information on this page is educational and does not replace professional clinical judgment. Performance values are labelled by source (ID Labs Specification / ID Labs Validated Performance / Manufacturer Specification / Published Scientific Evidence). Molecular results must be correlated clinically and, where appropriate, confirmed by culture and phenotypic susceptibility testing.
