AST typically involves culturing the bacteria isolated from the patient's sample (such as blood, urine, or throat swab) and exposing it to different antibiotics. The most common methods include:
1. Disk Diffusion Method: Also known as the Kirby-Bauer test, it involves placing antibiotic-impregnated disks on an agar plate inoculated with the bacteria. 2. E-test: This method uses a strip impregnated with a gradient of antibiotic concentrations. 3. Broth Dilution: In this method, bacteria are exposed to various concentrations of antibiotics in a liquid medium to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC).
