What is McFarland standard of antimicrobial susceptibility test?

In microbiology, McFarland standards are used as a reference to produce solutions that contain approximately similar numbers of bacteria for use in standardized microbial testing (Kirby Bauer). If the suspension is not turbid enough, more bacteria can be added. McFarland used today will be 0.5 = ~1.5×108 CFU/mL.

What is McFarland scale?

In microbiology, McFarland standards are used as a reference to adjust the turbidity of bacterial suspensions so that the number of bacteria will be within a given range to standardize microbial testing. The standard can be compared visually to a suspension of bacteria in sterile saline or nutrient broth.

What is the 0.5 McFarland standard?

A McFarland Standard is a chemical solution of barium chloride and sulfuric acid. 0.5 McFarland turbidity standard provides an optical density comparable to the density of a bacterial suspension with a 1.5 x 10^8 colony forming units (CFU/ml).

What is the importance of 0.5 McFarland test standard?

The standard most commonly used in the clinical microbiology laboratory is the 0.5 McFarland Standard, which is prescribed for antimicrobial susceptibility testing and culture media performance testing.

What is the purpose of 0.5 McFarland standard in Kirby-Bauer method?

McFarland standards are used to prepare bacterial suspensions to a specified turbidity. In the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion susceptibility test protocol, the bacterial suspension of the organism to be tested should be equivalent to the 0.5 McFarland standard.

Why is Kirby-Bauer method used?

The Kirby-Bauer test, known as the disk-diffusion method, is the most widely used antibiotic susceptibility test in determining what choice of antibiotics should be used when treating an infection. This method relies on the inhibition of bacterial growth measured under standard conditions.

What is the purpose of 0.5 McFarland standard in Kirby Bauer method?

What can be determined by the E test?

Etest (previously known as the Epsilometer test) is a way of determining antimicrobial sensitivity by placing a strip impregnated with antimicrobials onto an agar plate. A strain of bacterium or fungus will not grow near a concentration of antibiotic or antifungal if it is sensitive.

How many CFU are in a 0.5 McFarland standard?

1.5x 10^8
McFarland turbidity standards are prepared by mixing various volumes of 1% sulfuric acid and 1% barium chloride to obtain solutions with specific optical densities. 0.5 McFarland turbidity standard provides an optical density comparable to the density of a bacterial suspension 1.5x 10^8 colony forming units (CFU/ml).

What is the purpose of the McFarland standard in the Kirby-Bauer test?

How is a 0.5 McFarland standard prepared?

A 0.5 McFarland standard is prepared by mixing 0.05 mL of 1.175% barium chloride dihydrate (BaCl2•2H2O), with 9.95 mL of 1% sulfuric acid (H2SO4). Now there are McFarland standards prepared from suspensions of latex particles, which lengthens the shelf life and stability of the suspensions.

What is the chemical reaction of a McFarland standard?

A McFarland Standard is a chemical solution of barium chloride and sulfuric acid. The chemical reaction between these two chemicals results in the production of a fine precipitate of barium sulfate. After shaking well, the turbidity of a McFarland Standard is visually comparable to a bacterial suspension of known concentration.

What is the turbidity of a McFarland standard?

A McFarland Standard is a chemical solution of barium chloride and sulfuric acid; the reaction between these two chemicals results in the production of a fine precipitate, barium sulfate. When shaken well, the turbidity of a McFarland Standard is visually comparable to a bacterial suspension of known concentration as

What are the McFarland standards for sulfuric acid?

McFarland standards McFarland Standard No. 0.5 1 2 3 1.0% barium chloride (ml) 0.05 0.1 0.2 0.3 1.0% sulfuric acid (ml) 9.95 9.9 9.8 9.7 Approx. cell density (1X10^8 CFU/mL) 1.5 3.0 6.0 9.0 % transmittance* 74.3 55.6 35.6 26.4