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Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1979 Sep;32(9):956–959. doi: 10.1136/jcp.32.9.956

Use and interpretation of Schlichter's test on Haemophilus influenzae: relation of in vitro to in vivo results for cefamandole.

E Yourassowsky, M P van der Linden, E Schoutens
PMCID: PMC1145859  PMID: 315967

Abstract

When Haemophilus influenzae infections are treated by an antibiotic acting on the bacterial wall, the adequacy of antimicrobial therapy can be assessed by Schlichter's test. This test may be carried out using Mueller Hinton broth (or Mueller Hinton broth with 50% pooled serum and a supplement of Ca++ and Mg++) supplemented with Fildes' enrichment and an inoculum adjusted to the 0.5 McFarland turbidity standard diluted 200x. However, correct reading of end points can be obtained only by phase contrast microscopic examination, which allows the establishment of good correlation between the in vitro and in vivo findings. In patients with lung infections successfully treated with cefamandole, the presence of spheroplasts in samples derived from Schlichter's tests correlates well with clinical improvement and eradication of the pathogenic organism checked by transtracheal aspiration.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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