Which of the following are goals of antimicrobial testing and regimen selection?

• A. Identify organism
• B. Determine antimicrobial susceptibility
• C. All of the above
• D. Improve patient nutrition

Answer: (C)

The main idea is that antimicrobial testing and regimen selection aim to guide therapy by identifying the infecting organism and by determining which antimicrobials it is susceptible to. Identifying the organism tells us exactly what we’re dealing with, while susceptibility testing shows which drugs are likely to be effective against it, helping us choose the right agent, dose, and duration. Those steps directly drive effective treatment, minimize unnecessary toxicity, and support better patient outcomes. Improving patient nutrition isn’t a direct test or regimen objective, but successful treatment reduces the illness burden, which can improve nutritional status during recovery. For these reasons, including all the listed goals captures the full scope of what antimicrobial testing and regimen selection strive to achieve.