Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST)

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) broth microdilution method as described by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines.

Actively growing, pure, fresh bacterial culture.

Pure bacterial culture – plate or swab.

Store bacterial cultures refrigerated until shipped for testing. 

Shipping of specimens shall be done by a TDG certified individual in accordance with TDG regulations. For additional information regarding classification of specimens for the purposes of shipping, consult either Part 2 Appendix 3 of the TDG Regulations or section 3.6.2 of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations as applicable.

Confirmed Brucella spp. infection.

Completed Bioforensics Assay Development and Diagnostics requisition including sender name, address, and telephone number. Patient name or identifier (referring lab #), date of birth, suspected exposure, test(s) requested, clinical history, travel history, type of specimen and date collected. If possible, include the antibiotics administered. 

All patient history must be included. Please notify the laboratory prior to submission of specimen.

Broth microdilution using accredited in-house prepared antibiotic panels. Interpretations are based on the most recent CLSI guidelines.

14 calendar days for a final result.

1. Canadian Biosafety Standard for Facilities Handling or Storing Human and Terrestrial Animal Pathogens and Toxins; Canadian Biosafety Standard, Second Edition, 2015
2. CLSI. Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing. 33rd ed. CLSI supplement M100. Wayne, PA: Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute; 2023.
3. CLSI.  Methods for Dilution Antimicrobial Susceptibility Tests for Bacteria That Grow Aerobically. 11th ed. CLSI supplement M07. Wayne, PA: Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute; 2018.
4. CLSI. Methods for Antimicrobial Dilution and Disk Susceptibility Testing of Infrequently Isolated or Fastidious Bacteria. 3rd ed. CLSI guidelines M45. Wayne, PA: Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute; 2016.