ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Some bacteria have typical antibiogram profiles which can be used to verify antimicrobial susceptibility tests and organisms identification. So, we developed interpretative reporting and quality control software program using antibiogram of disk susceptibility test for more accurate results and helping physician's decision making in antibiotic therapy. METHODS: A computer program was developed with knowledge base rules based on antimicrobial disks tested, bacterial classification, bacteria's resistance mechanism and phenotypic probability to antibiogram results. And comment contents according to detection code of antibiogram were coded. All comment code were displayed to computer's screen, and interpreted results were printed to the final report after the validation and correction of the disk susceptibility test results. RESULTS: Detection code for evaluating aminoglycoside susceptibility pattern of gram-negative bacilli were detected, in order of decreasing frequency, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (9.1%), Citrobacter freundii (9.1%), Enterobacter species (8.3%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (7.6%), Escherichia coli (3.6%), and Acinetobacter species (3.3%). More than 5% of C. freundii, Enterobacter species, E. cloacae, E. aerogenes, and Morganella morganii were detected by detection code for evaluating natural resistance. CONCLUSIONS: It is considered that this program is useful in quality control of antimicrobial susceptibility test and decision making in antimicrobial therapy of patients. And detection rate of rule check codes on natural resistances of gram-negative bacilli in this study were higher than those previously reported. Finally, it is concluded that further studies on natural resistance of antimicrobials about gram-negative bacilli, and the addition and reformation of codes for rule check and comment contents are needed.