Performance Evaluation of QMAC-dRAST Using Consecutive Positive Clinical Blood Culture Samples

Abstract

tients who receive inadequate antimicrobial treatment [1]. The case fatality rate for bacteremia is 30-40% [2]. In Korea, bacteremia caused by major antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, especially among patients hospitalized in intensive care units, has a high incidence [3, 4]. Furthermore, extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium, and imipenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii have been on the rise [5-7]. Rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) results are important for the selection of suitable anti-bacterial treatments for bacteremia. The main problem with current AST methods is the long turnaround time (TAT). In most cases, conducting AST requires overnight incubation and usually requires 48-72 hours to complete, depending on the drug-organism combination [8].

Evaluation of the QMAC‐dRAST System Version 2.5 for Rapid Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Gram‐Negative Bacteria From Positive Blood Culture Broth and Subcultured Colony Isolates

“…First, high ME rates were noted for cefepime, ceftazidime, and piperacillin–tazobactam, which were most evident in P. aeruginosa strains. These results are consistent with performances reported in previous studies [ 19 , 22 , 28 ]. Second, despite CAs exceeding 95%, Enterobacterales exhibited high VME rates for aminoglycosides, specifically amikacin and gentamicin, aligning with previous findings [ 14 , 17 , 21 ].…”