Multiplex FISH yields antimicrobial susceptibilities in about how many hours?

Multiplex FISH yields antimicrobial susceptibilities in about how many hours?

• A. Accelerates results
• B. Gives antimicrobial susceptibilities in 7 hours
• C. Detects C diff
• D. Requires culture

Answer: (B)

Rapid diagnostics with multiplex FISH deliver susceptibility information much faster than traditional culture-based methods. By using fluorescent probes that bind to specific bacterial targets and resistance genes, this approach can infer which antibiotics the organism is likely susceptible to without waiting for full growth. In practice, the turnaround is about seven hours, enabling earlier, targeted therapy. While this speeds up results, it’s important to remember that not all resistance mechanisms are captured by the tested targets, so some cases may still require conventional phenotypic confirmation.

Rapid diagnostics with multiplex FISH deliver susceptibility information much faster than traditional culture-based methods. By using fluorescent probes that bind to specific bacterial targets and resistance genes, this approach can infer which antibiotics the organism is likely susceptible to without waiting for full growth. In practice, the turnaround is about seven hours, enabling earlier, targeted therapy. While this speeds up results, it’s important to remember that not all resistance mechanisms are captured by the tested targets, so some cases may still require conventional phenotypic confirmation.