[Susceptibility testing with the autobac system (author's transl)]

The Autobac I provides an automated method for the rapid measurement of antimicrobial susceptibility of fast growing pathogenic microorganisms. To check instrument accuracy, 477 cultures were tested by the Bauer-Kirby method for comparison. According to the DIN limits, the results were comparable in 81.8%, whereas within the NCCLS limits the agreement was 86.5%. The discrepancy was found to be due to incorrect disc mass and different limits of inhibitory zone diameters. Another reason for disagreement seemed to be the incubation time, since its influence on the results varied when different bacterium/antibiotic combinations were used.