Tentative Inhibition Zone Criteria (Bauer-Kirby Agar Disk Diffusion Method) for Rifampin against Staphylococci

Two of 359 (0.6%) clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and 12 of 218 (5.5%) clinical isolates of coagulase-negative staphylococci were resistant or of intermediate susceptibility against rifampin as based on minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) breakpoints obtained with the agar dilution method: MIC greater than or equal to 2 micrograms/ml = resistant; MIC 0.25-1 microgram/ml = intermediate susceptible; MIC less than 0.125 microgram/ml = susceptible. The following inhibition zone criteria with 2 micrograms rifampin disks were proposed for staphylococcal isolates utilizing the Bauer-Kirby agar disk diffusion test: diameter of inhibition zones less than or equal to 13 mm = resistant; diameter 14-21 mm = intermediate susceptible; diameter greater than or equal to 22 mm = susceptible.