Rapid, specific microbiological assay for amikacin (BB-K8).

The emergence of a strain of Providencia stuartii resistant to multiple antibiotics with the exception of amikacin provided a test organism for a microbiological assay for this new semisynthetic aminoglycosidic aminocyclitol. Results can be read at 4 h and are specific for amikacin. The resistance of P. stuartii to all currently used antibiotics allows the utilization of this technique in the presence of other concurrently administered antibiotics and therefore eliminates the need for their inactivation in the assay procedure. The rapidity, specificity, and simplicity of this microbiological assay may provide a technique for routine clinical monitoring of patients on therapeutic regimens and could be utilized by institutions unable to perform the radioimmunoassay or radioassay techniques.