Routine, Molecular, and Sequence-Based Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing: Progression from Research Databases to Future Predictive Models

Abstract

Automated antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) is the standard clinical diagnostic for antibiotic resistance. The polymerase chain reaction and genome sequencing offer alternative molecular AST approaches. This review compares practical advantages, disadvantages, and advances across the three AST methods for clinical diagnosis of antibiotic resistance with an eye toward coordinated hybrid approaches leveraging adaptive artificial intelligence that responds to patient demographics, vital signs, and diagnostic test results against a backdrop of evolving epidemiology and local outbreaks monitored through coordinated public health surveillance.