Improved Evaluator Strips Provide Accurate MIC Values

A product range for the accurate determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values for a wide range of antibiotics consists of a new distinctive gradient format of strips that provide excellent contrast with agar and an increased font size.

Called MICE, the strips carry a stabilized antimicrobial, covering 15 doubling dilutions, on a convenient polymer strip. The thickness of the MICE strip makes it easy to handle as it is applied to an agar plate pre-inoculated with bacteria. The antimicrobial is released from the MICE strip, forming a defined concentration gradient in the surrounding agar. After appropriate time of incubation, a lawn of growth develops with a clear zone around the strip where the concentration gradient in the medium has been sufficient to cause inhibition. The MIC is easily read where the growth of the organism touches the strip.

Launched by Oxoid (Basingstoke, UK), the strips combine the simplicity and ease of use of the diffusion method with the accuracy of an MIC test, to provide important information about antibiotic sensitivities of bacteria. This enables doctors to choose the optimal treatment for patients with microbial infections.

The strips are individually foil wrapped with desiccant to maintain their integrity until use. They minimize wastage and are available in stackable boxes of 10 and 50 strips. MICE strips are available for a wide selection of antibiotics at a concentration range of 0.015- 256 µg/ml. Specialist high- and low-level concentration strips are also available.

Amanda Appleton, clinical applications manager, Oxoid, commented, "An accurate MIC value can be extremely important in guiding appropriate antimicrobial therapy and can significantly improve patient management. This value can now be obtained easily, quickly and with great precision using MIC Evaluator strips, without the need to invest in additional, complicated equipment.”


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