Diagnostic Accuracy and Agreement between Four Phenotypic Carbapenemase Detection Tests among Enterobacterales.

Introduction: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CREs) are becoming increasingly popular as a cause of hospital-acquired infections that are difficult to treat and are frequently reported as causes of outbreaks in various hospitals. Conventional culturing techniques take at least 2 days to report a case as carbapenem resistant, and it is therefore important to detect such resistance mechanisms as early as possible.

Methods: This study aimed to compare the diagnostic performance of Carba NP, modified Hodge test (MHT), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) disk synergy test (DST), and the modified carbapenem inactivation method (mCIM).

'Breakpoint broth microdilution plate' for susceptibility testing of Gram negative bacilli against colistin sulfate.

Unlabelled: The MIC method applicable to Gram negative bacilli including spp. is broth microdilution (BMD). Cost and/or availability issues limit the use of commercial MIC panels in resource limited settings.

Screening for triazole resistance in clinically significant Aspergillus species; report from Pakistan.

Background: Burden of aspergillosis is reported to be significant from developing countries including those in South Asia. The estimated burden in Pakistan is also high on the background of tuberculosis and chronic lung diseases. There is concern for management of aspergillosis with the emergence of azole resistant Aspergillus species in neighbouring countries in Central and South Asia.

Use of pefloxacin as a surrogate marker to detect ciprofloxacin susceptibility in Salmonella enterica serotypes Typhi and Paratyphi A.

Objective: To determine the use of pefloxacin as a surrogate marker to detect fluoroquinolone (ciprofloxacin) susceptibility against Salmonella enterica serotypes Typhi and Paratyphi A.

Methods: The prospective, descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from September 2016 to March 2018, and comprised Salmonella Typhi and Paratyphi A isolates of blood cultures. Disk susceptibility tests and broth microdilution to test minimum inhibitory concentration were performed as per standard guidelines.