Abstract

The increasing bacterial resistance to antimicrobial agents has rendered susceptibility testing an indispensable tool for appropriate antibiotic selection. This study is aimed at evaluating the technical methods of antibiogram in some medical laboratories in Cameroon. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out. The data collection was done with two material, the questionnaire and the observation sheet. We enrolled 13 laboratories trough a non-probabilistic technic (Quota sampling). Quality control of media and antibiotic discs as well as their conservation did not comply with the standards. Over 76.9% of laboratories did not have the Mac Farland standard range. One hundred percent of the laboratories used the 90 mm diameter petri dishes. Five to fourteen discs were deposit with a mean of 08 discs per Petri dish. The reading of inhibition zones was done by visual estimation in 56.8% of the laboratories. Only 38.5% of the laboratories had reference strains. The interpretation of the susceptibility testing’s crude results were not made by 92.3% of the laboratories. Most laboratories do not have a standard of antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The importance of the strict execution of susceptibility testing procedure should be integrated by the technicians.

Key words: Antimicrobial susceptibility testing, laboratories, standards.