What does sputum sensitivity identify?

What does sputum sensitivity identify?

• A. The type of bacteria present.
• B. The antibiotics that will kill the bacteria.
• C. The viral susceptibility.
• D. The severity of infection.

Answer: (B)

Sputum sensitivity identifies which antibiotics are effective against the organism isolated from the sputum. In practice, a sputum sample is cultured to identify the pathogen, and susceptibility testing is performed to see which antibiotics the organism is susceptible or resistant to. This information guides choosing the most effective, often narrower-spectrum, therapy and helps avoid using antibiotics that won’t work. It does not measure viral susceptibility or the severity of infection, which are determined by clinical assessment and other tests.

Sputum sensitivity identifies which antibiotics are effective against the organism isolated from the sputum. In practice, a sputum sample is cultured to identify the pathogen, and susceptibility testing is performed to see which antibiotics the organism is susceptible or resistant to. This information guides choosing the most effective, often narrower-spectrum, therapy and helps avoid using antibiotics that won’t work. It does not measure viral susceptibility or the severity of infection, which are determined by clinical assessment and other tests.