1. Preparation steps
<ol>
	<li>Prepare Muller-Hinton broth (MHB) by adding 25 g of MH broth to 1 L of distilled water and mix. Autoclave at 121 &#176;C for 2.5 h. Then, store the autoclaved media at room temperature or in the fridge.</li>
	<li>Subculture the bacteria in question (E. coli ESBL) on the agar media using the four-quadrant streaking method and incubate overnight at 37 &#176;C.
	<ol>
		<li>Using a sterile loop, take one colony and spread it in the first half of the MacConkey agar plate by doing clos...

<ol>
	<li>Ibezim, E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Microbial+resistance+to+antibiotics.">Microbial resistance to antibiotics.</a> African Journal of Biotechnology. 4, 1606-1611 (2006).</li><li>Ventola, C. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+antibiotic+resistance+crisis:+part+1:+causes+and+threats.">The antibiotic resistance crisis: part 1: causes and threats.</a> P &amp; T: A Peer-Reviewed Journal for Formulary Management. 40 (4), 277-283 (2015).</li><li>Alanis, A. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Resistance+to+antibiotics:+Are+we+in+the+post-antibiotic+era.">Resistance to antibiotics: Are we in the post-antibiotic era.</a> Archives of Medical Research. 36 (6), 697-705 (2005).</li><li>Nathan, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Antibiotics+at+the+crossroads.">Antibiotics at the crossroads.</a> Nature. 431 (7011), 899-902 (2004).</li><li>Bollenbach, T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Antimicrobial+interactions:+mechanisms+and+implications+for+drug+discovery+and+resistance+evolution.">Antimicrobial interactions: mechanisms and implications for drug discovery and resistance evolution.</a> Current Opinion in Microbiology. 27, 1-9 (2015).</li><li>Mehta, K. C., Dargad, R. R., Borade, D. M., Swami, O. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Burden+of+antibiotic+resistance+in+common+infectious+diseases:+role+of+antibiotic+combination+therapy.">Burden of antibiotic resistance in common infectious diseases: role of antibiotic combination therapy.</a> Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research: JCDR. 8 (6), (2014).</li><li>Chanda, S., Rakholiya, K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Combination+therapy:+Synergism+between+natural+plant+extracts+and+antibiotics+against+infectious+diseases.">Combination therapy: Synergism between natural plant extracts and antibiotics against infectious diseases.</a> Science against Microbial Pathogens: Communicating Current Research and Technological Advances. , (2011).</li><li>Cottarel, G., Wierzbowski, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Combination+drugs,+an+emerging+option+for+antibacterial+therapy.">Combination drugs, an emerging option for antibacterial therapy.</a> Trends in Biotechnology. 25 (12), 547-555 (2007).</li><li>Kristiansen, J., Amaral, L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+potential+management+of+resistant+infection+with+non-antibiotics.">The potential management of resistant infection with non-antibiotics.</a> The Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. 40, 319-327 (1997).</li><li>Tamma, P. D., Cosgrove, S. E., Maragakis, L. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Combination+therapy+for+treatment+of+infections+with+gram-negative+bacteria.">Combination therapy for treatment of infections with gram-negative bacteria.</a> Clinical Microbiology Reviews. 25 (3), 450-470 (2012).</li><li>Leekha, S., Terrell, C. L., Edson, R. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=General+principles+of+antimicrobial+therapy.">General principles of antimicrobial therapy.</a> Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 86 (2), 156-167 (2011).</li><li>Eliopoulos, G. M., Eliopoulos, C. T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Antibiotic+combinations:+Should+they+be+tested.">Antibiotic combinations: Should they be tested.</a> Clinical Microbiology Reviews. 1 (2), 139-156 (1988).</li><li>Doern, C. D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=When+does+2+plus+2+equal+5?+A+review+of+antimicrobial+synergy+testing.">When does 2 plus 2 equal 5? A review of antimicrobial synergy testing.</a> Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 52 (12), 4124-4128 (2014).</li><li>Stein, C., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Three+dimensional+checkerboard+synergy+analysis+of+colistin,+meropenem,+tigecycline+against+multidrug-resistant+clinical+klebsiella+pneumonia+isolates.">Three dimensional checkerboard synergy analysis of colistin, meropenem, tigecycline against multidrug-resistant clinical klebsiella pneumonia isolates.</a> PloS One. 10 (6), 0126479 (2015).</li><li>Langeveld, W. T., Veldhuizen, E. J. A., Burt, S. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Synergy+between+essential+oil+components+and+antibiotics:+a+review.">Synergy between essential oil components and antibiotics: a review.</a> Critical Reviews in Microbiology. 40 (1), 76-94 (2014).</li><li>Pankey, G., Ashcraft, D., Kahn, H., Ismail, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Time-kill+assay+and+Etest+evaluation+for+synergy+with+polymyxin+B+and+fluconazole+against+Candida+glabrata.">Time-kill assay and Etest evaluation for synergy with polymyxin B and fluconazole against Candida glabrata.</a> Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 58 (10), 5795-5800 (2014).</li><li>Odds, F. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Synergy,+antagonism,+and+what+the+chequerboard+puts+between+them.">Synergy, antagonism, and what the chequerboard puts between them.</a> The Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. 52 (1), 1 (2003).</li></ol>

The Quadruple&#160;Checkerboard method resembles the checkerboard and the three dimensional checkerboard in its protocol. However, certain crucial steps should be taken into consideration to avoid errors during the experiment.
Make sure to test for the MIC of each drug against the tested isolate before starting the protocol to know what are the concentrations that are needed to start the dilutions with for drug 1 and drug 2 that need to be serially diluted in the plates. Concerning drug 3 and ...

With the increase in resistance due to the overuse and misuse of antibiotics1,2, the need to develop new drugs and agents to treat bacterial infections has become crucial. New approaches such as developing new drugs are very important to overcome the resistance crisis. However, the pharmaceutical industry is not interested in developing new antimicrobial agents. Moreover, if new drugs are developed, bacteria will keep on evolving and developing resistance against these new drugs3,4. Thus, the problem of resistance will not be solved, making the need for another approach a must that should be considered and studied to overcome bacterial resistance.
Drug combination is a very important concept for treating bacterial infections mainly those that are caused by multidrug resistant pathogens5,6. It decreases the course of treatment, decreases the dose given; thus, decreasing the toxicity of the given drug, helps in decreasing the rate of resistance development and, in a way, sensitizes the bacteria to the given drugs as described in the concept of collateral sensitivity5,7,8,9.
Resistance development to one drug requires a single mutation; however, resistance development to a combination of drugs targeting multiple pathways requires several independent mutations that are slowed down by this combination. An example to decreased resistance while using combination therapy is the decreased rate of resistance to Rifampin in Mycobacterium Tuberculosis10. Another example is a study done by Gribble et al. that showed the rate of emergence of resistant strains in patients taking Piperacillin alone to be higher than in those taking a combination of carboxypenicillin and aminoglycoside10. Studies have shown that resistance development to aminoglycosides in evolving bacteria made these strains sensitive to various other drugs5. The combination between the beta-lactam class drug amoxicillin and the lactamase inhibitor clavulanic acid showed success in treating resistant bacterial strains8.
Decreasing the time of treatment is a good advantage resulting from drug combinations. For example, a therapy of combined penicillin or ceftriaxone with gentamicin for 2 weeks will give the same efficacy given by penicillin or ceftriaxone alone when given for 4 weeks11. Combining drugs allows for the usage of lower dosages of drugs that are not effective when given alone such as the Sub-MICs. The example of sulfonamides can be given where the use of triple-sulfonamides minimizes, at lower doses, the toxicity produced which is crystal formation or crystalluria when using insoluble sulfonamides at full doses12.
Thus, decreasing the dosage given and the time of treatment will eventually decrease the toxicity of the drugs on the body. The idea of developing methods to assess the interaction between combined drugs is very important. In one study, the results showed that combination therapy is more effective for the treatment of resistant species of Acinetobacter and P. aeruginosa8.
Giving drugs in combination 
There are different methods by which we can study drug combinations, such as the checkerboard method, the time-kill curve method, and the E-test method13. The checkerboard method can study all the possible combinations between the two drugs in question in one experiment itself. In addition, it was developed to study a combination of three drugs14. Now, we extend this to study a combination of four drugs mainly for the treatment of multidrug-resistant pathogens.
The time-kill curve assay is usually performed to test for the bactericidal effect of a certain drug. It was also used to test for the effect of drug combinations where several drugs are combined at specific concentrations. This protocol requires the preparation of several sterile tubes or cups where in each cup we add the broth, combination of drugs, and the required bacterial strain. After incubation and recording of the optical density at several time points, the results are compared with the normal growth rate of the used strain to see whether the growth rate increased, decreased, or did not change13.
E-test method is usually done to test for the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) where a strip containing a gradient concentration of the drug in question is put on an inoculated plate. It was also used to test the combination between two drugs where two strips are added to the plate in a perpendicular manner intersecting at their MICs13.
According to literature, there is no gold standard to define and study synergy; thus, it is difficult to assess which one of the methods used to study combination is better and which one produces better and more reliable results mainly13. However, Time-kill assay is labor intensive, time consuming, and expensive15,16, while the E-test method is developed to study a combination between two drugs only. Checkerboard can study all the possible combinations between the two drugs tested and this is why this technique has been chosen to be developed.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>1000 &#181;L tips</td>
			<td>Citotest</td>
			<td>4330000402</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>200 &#181;L tips</td>
			<td>Citotest</td>
			<td>4330-0013-17</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>50 mL centrifuge tube</td>
			<td>corning</td>
			<td>430828</td>
			<td>For drug 3 and 4 preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>5 mL polysterene round-bottom Tube</td>
			<td>Falcon</td>
			<td>352058</td>
			<td>For 0.5 MacFarland bacterial inoculum preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>90mm petri dishes</td>
			<td>JRZ Plastilab</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>As bed for the solutions to be added using the multichannel pipette</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>96-well plates</td>
			<td>corning</td>
			<td>3596</td>
			<td>For serial diltuion and combining drugs</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Bactrim 200, 40 mg (Trimethoprim-sulamethoxazole</td>
			<td>By CRNEXI SAS Fontenay-sous-Bois, France</td>
			<td>10177403</td>
			<td>Drug 4</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Ceforane, 1 g (Cefotaxime)</td>
			<td>PHARCO Pharmaceuticals</td>
			<td>24750/2006</td>
			<td>Drug 1</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Densitometer</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>E. Coli ESBL strain</td>
			<td>Retreived as a medical strain from the Saint-George Hospital Lebanon</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Bacterial strain</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Mac Conkey + crystal violet agar</td>
			<td>BIO-RAD</td>
			<td>64169508</td>
			<td>For making agar plates used for subculturing</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Miacin 500 mg/2 mL (Amikacin)</td>
			<td>HIKMA Pharmaceuticals</td>
			<td>2BXMIA56N-AEF</td>
			<td>Drug 2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Muller-Hinton Broth</td>
			<td>BIO-RAD</td>
			<td>69444</td>
			<td>For making bacterial media</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Multichannel Pipette</td>
			<td>Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td>GJ54761</td>
			<td>For serial dilution and addition of media, bacteria and drugs</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Paper Tape</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Single Channel pipettes</td>
			<td>Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td>OH19855 HH40868</td>
			<td>For the addition of media, bacteria and drugs</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tavanic, 500 mg (Levofloxacin)</td>
			<td>sanofi aventis</td>
			<td>221937/2009</td>
			<td>Drug 3</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

quadruple-checkerboard: a modification of the three-dimensional checkerboard for studying drug combinations

The concept of drug-combination therapy is becoming very important mainly with the drastic increase in resistance to drugs. The Quadruple&#160;checkerboard, also called the Q-checkerboard, aims at maximizing the number of possible combinations that can be obtained between four drugs in one experiment to minimize the time and work needed to accomplish the same results with other protocols. This protocol is based on the simple micro dilution technique where the drugs are diluted and combined together in several 96-well plates.
In the first set of 96-well plates, Muller-Hinton broth is added followed by the first required drug (e.g., Cefotaxime here) to serially dilute it. After the first step is done, another set of 96-well plates is used to dilute the second drug (e.g., Amikaci), which will be transferred by removing a specific volume of drug 2 and put in the corresponding wells in the first set of 96-well plates that contains drug one. The third step is done by adding the required concentrations of the third drug (e.g., Levofloxacin), to the appropriate plates in the initial set containing combination of drug 1 and 2. The fourth step is done by adding the required concentrations of the fourth drug (e.g., Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazol) into the appropriate plates in the first set. Then, E. coli ESBL bacterial inoculum will be prepared and added.
This method is important to evaluate all the possible combinations and has a wider range of possibilities to be tested furthermore for in vivo testing. Despite being a tiring technique requiring a lot of focus, the results are remarkable and time saving where a lot of combinations can be tested in a single experiment.

Figure 2A represents the results obtained by combining Cefotaxime and Amikacin with specific concentrations of Levofloxacin and Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. We can see in the left part of the figure the four plates that are schematically presented with the concentrations of the drugs in the right part of the figure. The arrows represent the wells on the Growth/no Growth interface. The colored wells are the wells that contain growth. We notice that the fourth plate does not contain growth i...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Quadruple-Checkerboard: A Modification of the Three-Dimensional Checkerboard for Studying Drug Combinations at JoVE.com

Quadruple-Checkerboard: A Modification of the Three-Dimensional Checkerboard for Studying Drug Combinations

This protocol describes how to study all possible combinations that can be obtained between four drugs in one single experiment. This method is based on the standard 96-well plate micro dilution assay and the calculation of fractional inhibitory concentrations (FICs) to evaluate the results.

The concept of drug-combination therapy is becoming very important mainly with the drastic increase in resistance to drugs. The ...

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4.2K vistas.  University of Balamand. Este protocolo describe cómo estudiar todas las combinaciones posibles que se pueden obtener entre cuatro fármacos en un solo experimento. Este método se basa en el ensayo estándar de micro dilución de placas de 96 pozos y el cálculo de concentraciones inhibitorias fraccionadas (FICs) para evaluar los resultados.