Simulation of inference test performance for minimum inhibitory concentration censored data

Abstract

The estimation of the minimum inhibitory concentration is usually performed by a method of serial dilutions by a factor of 2, introducing the overestimation of antimicrobial efficacy, quantified by a simulation model that shows that the variability of the bias is higher for the standard deviation, being dependent on the metric distance to the values of the concentrations used. We use a methodological approach through modeling and simulation for the measurement error of physical variables with censored information, proposing a new inference method based on the calculation of the exact probability for the set of possible samples from nmeasurements that allows quantifying the p-value in one or two independent sample tests for the comparison of censored data means. Tests based on exact probability methods offer a reasonable solution for small sample sizes, with statistical power varying according to the hypothesis evaluated, providing insight into the limitations of censored data analysis and providing a tool for decision making in the diagnosis of antimicrobial efficacy.