Method of bacterial identification and testing of bacterium resistant to one or more antibiotics

A method of detecting an antimicrobial susceptibility of a bacterium to one or more antibiotics, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a bacterial mixture comprising:
• a bacterial population including a bacterial species suspected to be resistant to one or more antibiotics;
• an antibiotic;
• a metabolic precursor suitable for incorporation into a bacterium, which metabolic precursor is labelled or is capable of being labelled with a detectable moiety;
• and
• a nutrient suspension;
• and
• (b) aging the bacterial mixture for a period of time, then collecting the bacterial population and resuspending it to provide an antibiotic-challenged bacterial mixture, where a bacterium that is resistant to one or more antibiotics incorporates the metabolic precursor suitable for incorporation into the bacterium, and:
• when the bacterial mixture of step (a) comprises a metabolic precursor that is capable of being labelled with a detectable moiety, then a detectable moiety suitable to conjugate to the metabolic precursor is added to the antibiotic-challenged bacterial mixture.