Abstract
Endogenous ATP levels have been used as an index of bacterial growth in a rapid microbiological assay for serum antibiotic levels. Serum cephaloridine levels have been assayed using Staphylococcus aureus as test organism, while gentamicin and tobramycin were assayed using Klebsiella edwardsii var. atlantae, a strain resistant to penicillins and cephalosporins. Bacterial ATP was extracted with a solution of EDTA in sulphuric acid and measured using the firefly bioluminescence system. The method as applied to the assay of serum gentamicin correlated well with a plate diffusion assay (r = 0.986). Variability in terms of 95% confidence limits was less than 20% over the therapeutic range of gentarnicin concentrations. The technique described is potentially applicable to the measurement of other substances which influence bacterial growth rate.

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