Walsh L R
Abington Memorial Hospital, PA.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 1994;349:97-105. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4757-9206-5_9.
The developments seen in these systems allow speculation about future trends in antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods. Microbiology system manufacturers seem to be heeding the call of all industry, for greater automation, enhanced data management capabilities and increased flexibility (see Table 2 below). [table: see text] Cost seems to be less of an issue. This may be due to the decrease in the availability of medical technologists and the need to find systems with better throughput and increased productivity. Increased automation, data management capabilities, and walkaway technology may justify the additional cost of some of these systems. The computer software package provided with these systems is becoming increasingly important with the focus on quality assurance and utilization. Computer generated data analysis gives the microbiologist the tools to educate physicians through the use of selective reporting functions, antibiograms, cost analysis and drug effectiveness comparisons. Each of the four systems is unique and will probably find a niche among the various markets that exist in the United States, European and other specialized markets. The lack of automation in the ALAMAR system may be its selling point in those areas where automation is not affordable, but new ways are being sought for ease of interpretation of results. BIOMIC and CATHRA systems may be more beneficial to those microbiologists who do not want to stop doing traditional Bauer-Kirby or agar dilution methods, but require computer enhancements. ALADIN, may fill a niche to which other walkaway systems have not adapted, but because of its expense, will face more demands than the other three systems covered in this review.
这些系统中所呈现的发展态势，引发了人们对未来抗菌药物敏感性检测方法趋势的猜测。微生物学系统制造商似乎正在响应整个行业的呼声，致力于实现更高的自动化程度、更强的数据管理能力以及更大的灵活性（见下文表2）。[表格：见正文]成本似乎不再是一个主要问题。这可能是由于医学技术人员的供应减少，以及需要找到具有更高通量和更高生产率的系统。更高的自动化程度、数据管理能力以及无需人工干预的技术，或许能够证明其中一些系统额外成本的合理性。随着对质量保证和利用率的关注，这些系统所配备的计算机软件包正变得越来越重要。计算机生成的数据分析为微生物学家提供了工具，使其能够通过使用选择性报告功能、抗菌谱、成本分析和药物有效性比较等方式来对医生进行培训。这四个系统各有特色，在美国、欧洲以及其他专业市场中可能会在不同的细分市场找到立足之地。ALAMAR系统缺乏自动化这一点，在那些负担不起自动化设备的地区可能会成为其卖点，但目前正在寻求新的方法来便于结果的解读。BIOMIC和CATHRA系统对于那些不想停止传统的鲍尔-柯蒂斯（Bauer-Kirby）法或琼脂稀释法，但又需要计算机辅助的微生物学家来说，可能更具优势。ALADIN系统可能会填补其他无需人工干预系统尚未涉足的细分市场，但由于其成本高昂，将面临比本综述中所涵盖的其他三个系统更多的要求。
