Comparative evaluation of agar dilution and broth microdilution methods for antibiotic susceptibility testing of Helicobacter cinaedi.

The aim of this study was to establish a broth microdilution method for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Helicobacter cinaedi and to assess the prevalence and mechanisms of fluoroquinolone resistance in Japanese clinical isolates. A broth microdilution method using modified Levinthal broth was developed and compared with the agar dilution method for testing susceptibility to ampicillin, gentamicin, tetracycline and ciprofloxacin. The minimum inhibitory concentrations obtained by these two methods were almost the same for all the antibiotics tested, demonstrating the broth microdilution method to be a suitable and reliable technique for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. A broth microdilution method for antimicrobial susceptibility test for H. cinaedi was established. This method is expected to help improve treatment.