ANTIBIOTIC SENSITIVITY TESTING

NAME: Bliss Nove Faith Y. Polley

Guide Questions

1. Discuss the importance of Kirby-bauer sensitivity test.

The Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion susceptibility test is used to detect the sensitivity or resistance of
infectious aerobic and facultative anaerobes to various antibiotic drugs, which can help a physician
choose treatment choices for their patients. The pathogenic bacterium grows on Mueller-Hinton agar
with antimicrobial treated filter paper disks. The presence or lack of growth surrounding the disks is an
indirect indicator of the compound's effectiveness to suppress that organism.

2. What are some reasons bacteria are becoming more resistant to antibiotics?

Antibiotic resistance refers to an organism's capacity to withstand and disregard the effects of
antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance develops when bacteria adapt in such a manner that drugs, chemical
compounds, and other agents used to cure, treat, and prevent illnesses no longer work. The bacteria live
and multiply, inflicting even more harm to the body. Antibiotics kill sensitive bacteria, but resistant
bacteria can multiply. As a result, it may be argued that antibiotic abuse and overuse are also
contributing to the ongoing growth of drug-resistant germs. Another point to consider is that, according
to the assertions above, bacteria can evolve antibiotic resistance in one of two ways. One possibility is
for mutations in the cell's DNA to occur during replication. Bacterial resistance can also be acquired by
horizontal gene transfer. There are three ways this may happen, however even in that instance, the
genetic material of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is passed on to newer bacterial cells, making them
antibiotic-resistant.

3. Interpret the result.

Amoxicilin (AMC) Resistant
Cephalothin (CF) Susceptible
Chloramphenicol (C) Susceptible
Ciprofloxacin (CIP) Susceptible
Clindamycin (CC) Resistant
Erythromycin (E) Resistant
Oxacillin (OX) Resistant
Penicillin Resistant
Streptomycin (S) Susceptible
Tetracycline (TE) Intermediate
Tobramycin (TM) Susceptible
Trimethoprim sulfa (SXT) Susceptible

Based on the findings of the diffusion disk, we may swiftly determine whether the organism being
tested, namely a bacteria, is resistant, intermediate, or even susceptible to the antibiotic using the Kirby-
Bauer technique. We will be able to discover or assess their strengths and weaknesses by utilizing a ruler
or caliper to measure the typical radius of the clear inhibition zones that surround the antibiotic plate as
a reference. In bacteria that are resistant to a certain treatment, there will be no inhibitory zone. The
findings of the test, which comprised Escherichia Coli and S. aureus, are based on the supplied
photograph. The bacteria in concern, according to Aureus, are resistant to antibiotics such as amoxicillin,
erythromycin, oxyacillin, and penicillin. Furthermore, the microorganisms under examination were
Tetracycline precursors. Cephalothin, Chloramphenicol, Ciprofloxacin, Streptomycin, Tobramycin, and
Trimethoprim sulfa are all susceptible to the microbial species to its complex distinct inhibition zones.
Moreover, the test findings support the concept  because there is no evident visible zone in S.aureus, it
is considered that there is a conflict or incompatibility, and it is recommended that the bacterium be
shifted or transplanted to some other nutritive agar to assess effectiveness.

REFERENCES:

CDC. (2021, November 22). How do germs become resistant? Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/about/how-resistance-
happens.html#:~:text=Antibiotic%20resistance%20is%20accelerated%20when

Hudzicki, J. (2009). Kirby-Bauer Disk Diffusion Susceptibility Test Protocol. American Society for
Microbiology. https://asm.org/getattachment/2594ce26-bd44-47f6-8287-0657aa9185ad/Kirby-
Bauer-Disk-Diffusion-Susceptibility-Test-Protocol-pdf.pdf

Online Public Health (2017) How Bacteria Build Resistance at the Cellular Level. George Washington
University School of Public Health – home.
https://onlinepublichealth.gwu.edu/resources/antibiotic-resistance-at-cellularlevel/
#:~:text=There%20are%20two%20main%20ways,is%20through%20horizontal%20gene%
20transfer.