Evaluation of the BIOMIC video reader system for routine use in the clinical microbiology laboratory

The BIOMIC Video Reader System (Giles Scientific, New York, NY, USA) is a semi-automated AST method that combines disk diffusion testing with automated reading and data interpretation. We evaluated this system with 497 strains comprising a total of 5821 drug organism combinations (DOC) from our routine diagnostic laboratory. Additionally, we compared the time required of the manual and the automated method. The overall agreement of interpretative categories of all DOC was 96.1%. However, comparing complete tests the agreement was only 70.8%. The average time required of the BIOMIC system to complete a test was more than twice as long as that of the manual method. Our data suggest that the tested version of the BIOMIC system cannot be recommended for routine use in diagnostic laboratories. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.