Afb Mtb - Levofloxacin Antibacterial Gradient Infected Tissue

Levofloxacin is a bacteriacidal fluoroquinolone antibiotic that is effective against gram-positive and gram-negative organisms as well as other infectious agents, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is used to treat a broad range of infections, including pneumonia, multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, and urinary tract infections. Levofloxacin increases the risk of tendinitis and tendon rupture, and is not recommended for children under the age of 18. A gradient strip is a reagent strip that contains a predefined concentration gradient of a specific antibiotic or combination of antibiotics that is used for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) and antimicrobial resistance detection (ARD). For AST, the result is reported in terms of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of a specific antimicrobial that prevents the visible growth of bacteria. In LOINC, the "Gradient strip" method is used for AST gradient strips that result in an MIC result. For ARD, the result is reported as the presence or absence of a specific enzyme or other mechanism that confers resistance, which is determined based on comparing the inhibitory concentration (IC) of a specific antimicrobial with the IC of that antimicrobial plus a resistance inhibitor. In LOINC, the "Gradient strip ARD" method is used for ARD gradient strips, which are not intended for determining individual MIC values. A small strip is impregnated with an antimicrobial drug that has an increasing concentration from one end of the strip to another. The concentrations of the antibiotic are marked along the strip. The strip is placed on the agar surface that has been inoculated by a specified concentration of the isolated organism being tested. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of antibiotics, antifungals, or antimycobacterials is determined by the intersection of the border where microbial growth is inhibited and the concentration of antimicrobial designated on the strip.