Which term is used to denote the Kirby-Bauer test?

Which term is used to denote the Kirby-Bauer test?

• A. Bacteriostatic
• B. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC)
• C. Kirby-Bauer Test
• D. Bactericidal

Answer: (C)

The term used to denote this method is the disk diffusion test, commonly called the Kirby-Bauer test. In this approach, antibiotic-impregnated disks are placed on an agar plate that has been spread evenly with the bacterial isolate. After incubation, zones of inhibited growth appear around some disks; the size of these zones is interpreted against standardized breakpoints to categorize the organism as susceptible, intermediate, or resistant to each antibiotic. This test specifically identifies the method of assessing antibiotic susceptibility, which is why it’s named the Kirby-Bauer test. The other terms refer to different concepts. Bacteriostatic describes an effect that inhibits bacterial growth but doesn’t necessarily kill the bacteria. Bactericidal describes agents that kill bacteria. MIC stands for minimum inhibitory concentration, the lowest concentration of an antibiotic that prevents visible growth in a dilution test, which is a separate way to measure susceptibility rather than the disk diffusion method.

The term used to denote this method is the disk diffusion test, commonly called the Kirby-Bauer test. In this approach, antibiotic-impregnated disks are placed on an agar plate that has been spread evenly with the bacterial isolate. After incubation, zones of inhibited growth appear around some disks; the size of these zones is interpreted against standardized breakpoints to categorize the organism as susceptible, intermediate, or resistant to each antibiotic. This test specifically identifies the method of assessing antibiotic susceptibility, which is why it’s named the Kirby-Bauer test.

The other terms refer to different concepts. Bacteriostatic describes an effect that inhibits bacterial growth but doesn’t necessarily kill the bacteria. Bactericidal describes agents that kill bacteria. MIC stands for minimum inhibitory concentration, the lowest concentration of an antibiotic that prevents visible growth in a dilution test, which is a separate way to measure susceptibility rather than the disk diffusion method.