BSAC standardized disc susceptibility testing method (version 4)

Abstract

In 2002 the BSAC agreed to participate with several other European national groups, namely CA-SFM (Comité de l'Antibiogramme de la Société Française de Microbiologie, France), the CRG (Commissie Richtlijnen Gevoeligheidsbepalingen, The Netherlands), DIN (Deutsches Institut für Normung, Germany), NWGA (Norwegian Working Group on Antimicrobials, Norway) and the SRGA (Swedish Reference Group of Antibiotics, Sweden), in a project to harmonize antimicrobial breakpoints, including previously established breakpoints. This work is being undertaken by the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) with the support and collaboration of the national committees, and is funded by the European Union, the European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) and the national committees, including the BSAC. The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI; formerly the NCCLS) is also in the process of reviewing some breakpoints and has currently agreed to work with EUCAST on breakpoints for cephalosporins in Enterobacteriaceae. The review process includes application of more recent techniques, such as pharmacodynamic analysis, and current data, where available, on susceptibility distributions, resistance mechanisms and clinical outcome related to in vitro tests. There is also extensive discussion within EUCAST and the national committees, including the BSAC Working Party on antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and wide consultation on proposals.^1,2 In the interests of international standardization of susceptibility testing, and the need to update older breakpoints in the light of current knowledge, these developments are welcomed by the BSAC.