The present invention provides devices and methods for determining the
presence or absence of pathogens in a biological sample and for the
concurrent determination of the antimicrobial susceptibility of pathogens
present. The devices and methods of the present invention are able to
make the determinations without pre-selection of target bacteria.
Instead, all organisms from the sample are applied to the device. In
wells where one or more antimicrobial agents are present only pathogens
resistant to the antimicrobial agent grow. This allows the user to
determine the presence of target pathogens and concurrently determine the
resistance patterns of the organisms without the need to subculture the
organisms. The present invention also provides methods of performing a
business service of performing the determinations described above, and
kits containing the devices and descriptions of the methods.