Which technique is used to determine antibiotic resistance in bacteria?

The technique used to determine antibiotic resistance in bacteria is antimicrobial susceptibility testing. This method assesses the effectiveness of various antibiotics against specific bacterial strains by exposing the bacteria to different concentrations of antibiotics and observing their growth. The results indicate whether the bacteria are susceptible or resistant to each antibiotic tested.

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing is essential for guiding appropriate treatment options, enabling healthcare professionals to select the most effective antibiotics for infections caused by resistant bacteria. This testing can be performed using methodologies such as disk diffusion, broth dilution, or automated systems that provide detailed susceptibility profiles for specific pathogens. Each approach aims to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for effective treatment.

In contrast, other techniques mentioned are not primarily focused on antibiotic resistance assessment. Polymerase chain reaction is a molecular biology technique used to amplify DNA sequences but does not directly test bacterial susceptibility to antibiotics. Western blotting is primarily utilized for protein detection and analysis rather than antibiotic resistance. ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) is a technique used to detect and quantify proteins, antibodies, or hormones, which is unrelated to testing antibiotic susceptibility in bacteria.