This online seminar discusses the advantages of incorporating molecular testing into the microbiology laboratory to aid in the identification of relevant antibiotic resistance mechanisms. 

Surveillance of resistance mechanisms, hospital infection control, and epidemiology require accurate detection of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs), AmpC beta-lactamases, and carbapenemases. For example, an important aspect of infection control is to determine how resistance is spread. Is the spread of resistance due to a clonal outbreak or the movement of mobile genetic elements?