Semiautomated turbidimetric microbiological assay for determination of cefazolin.

The Autoturb System, a semiautomated system for photometric bioassay, was used to determine cefazolin content. Suitable conditions for the assay using Streptococcus faecalis ATCC 10541 as the indicator organism included a medium pH of 6.0 to 7.0 and an incubation time of 3 to 3.5 h at 36 C. Multiple independent assays of samples from a common batch showed the test to be highly reproducible. Accuracy of the turbidimetric assay was evaluated by comparing data obtained from a chemical (hydroxylamine) and a biological (disk diffusion) assay. The available data show the turbidimetric assay to be a rapid, accurate, and reproducible method for determining the biological activity of cefazolin samples.