200: Early Growth, Faster Answers: Rethinking AST

In this episode of Let's Talk Micro, Dr. Jennifer Dien Bard and Dr. Lucas Osborn discuss their recent study on early growth antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Traditional AST often requires 18–24 hours of incubation of isolates, delaying targeted treatment. Their research shows that using 6-hour early growth isolates with both automated and manual methods delivers accurate results up to 18 hours faster—without added costs or specialized equipment.

The conversation explores the study design, agreement rates with standard methods, and what faster AST means for patient care and antimicrobial stewardship.

Link to study: https://doi.org/10.1128/jcm.00236-25

Link to disk diffusion study: https://doi.org/10.1128/jcm.03007-20

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