Antibiotic sensitivity culture the bacteria. This can help in the diagnosis. Once a culture is established, there are two possible ways to get an antibiogram: Once the MIC is calculated, it can be compared to known values for a given bacterium and antibiotic: e.g. a MIC > 0,06 µg/ml may be interpreted as a penicillin-resistant "Streptococcus pneumoniae". Such information may be useful to the clinician, who can change the empirical treatment, to a more custom-tailored treatment that is directed only at the causative bacterium. Often clinical specimens are sent to the clinical laboratory for culture and sensitivity (C&S), which is culture and
Antibiotic synergy Antibiotic synergy Antibiotic synergy is one of three responses possible when two or more antibiotics are used simultaneously to treat an infection. In the synergistic response, the applied antibiotics work together to produce an effect more potent than if each antibiotic were applied singly. Compare to the additive effect, where the potency of an antibiotic combination is roughly equal to the combined potencies of each antibiotic singly, and antagonistic effect, where the potency of the combination is less than the combined potencies of each antibiotic. Clinical interest in synergism dates back to the early 1950s when practitioners noted that patients