New Product Range Tests Antimicrobial Sensitivity

Minimum inhibitory concentrations are important in diagnostic laboratories to confirm resistance of microorganisms to an antimicrobial agent and to monitor the activity of new antimicrobial agents.

Oxoid (Basingstoke, UK) MIC Evaluators (MICE) combine the simplicity and ease of use of the diffusion method with the accuracy of an MIC test, to provide important information for the treatment of critically ill patients. The MICE provide a gradient of stabilized antimicrobial, covering 15 doubling dilutions, on a convenient polymer strip format. Each MICE strip is individually foil wrapped with desiccant to maintain its integrity until use and, to minimize wastage, MICE are available in stackable boxes of 10 and 50 strips.

The thickness of the MICE strip makes it easy to handle as it is applied to a pre-inoculated agar plate. Upon application, the antimicrobial is released from the MICE strip, forming a defined concentration gradient in the surrounding agar. After an appropriate incubation, the MIC value is easily read as the value within the box where the growth of the organism touches the strip.

Prof. Bob Rennie, from the University of Alberta Hospital (Edmonton, Canada), one of the product evaluators commented, We are in the middle of a large trial comparing MICE with gold standard broth dilution MIC testing, and the results thus far have shown excellent correlation. The single strip packaging option makes the handling and storage significantly easier.

Amanda Appleton, clinical applications manager, Oxoid, said, "An accurate MIC value can be extremely important in guiding appropriate antimicrobial therapy and can significantly improve patient management. This value can now be obtained easily, quickly, and with great precision using Oxoid MIC Evaluators, without the need to invest in additional, complicated equipment.”

Oxoid MICE are available for a wide selection of antibiotics at a concentration range of 0.016-256 µg/ml. Specialist high- and low-level concentration strips are also available.


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