EUCAST - European committee on antimicrobial susceptibility testing
- EC contribution
- : € 355.680
- Duration
- : 36 months
- Starting date
- : 01/05/2004
- Funding scheme
- : Public Health Action - Health Threats - Health Action Programme 2003
- Keywords
- : breakpoints, antimicrobials, EUCAST
- Contract/Grant agreement number
- : 2003210
- Project web-site
- : http://www.eucast.org/
Background:
EUCAST was initiated by the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) and the national breakpoint committees in Europe to give Europe uniform breakpoints for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. EUCAST harmonised breakpoints for all existing antimicrobials at the end of 2008. Moreover, through the cooperation between EUCAST and EMEA, several new antimicrobials have received European breakpoints through the EUCAST breakpoint process.
Problem:
There is a lack of uniform antimicrobial breakpoints in Europe, both for therapy and for antimicrobial resistance surveillance, as well as a lack of a uniform European processes for setting breakpoints for new antimicrobial agents.
Aim:
The main objective was to provide Europe with harmonised antimicrobial breakpoints for existing drugs and a pathway through which new drugs can receive uniform breakpoints in Europe. The EUCAST consortium also sought to cooperate with all expert groups and European agencies with an interest in antimicrobial breakpoints, and to set up a website for the dissemination of key materials.
Expected and obtained results:
- Standard operating procedures (SOP) regulating the cooperation between EUCAST and EMEA is operative.
- Breakpoints for several new drugs have been determined.
- Breakpoints for existing drugs have been harmonised for aminoglycosides, glycopeptides, fluoroquinolones, linezolid, carbapenem, aztreonam, cephalosporines, macrolides, penicillins and miscellaneous drugs.
- All cooperation (EFSA, EMEA, EARSS etc) is operative.
- Subcommittees on antifungal drugs, interpretative rules in susceptibility testing and anaerobe bacteria are operative.
- A European disk test for routine susceptibility testing is being developed.
Potential applications:
Europe is in need of uniform breakpoints for the categorisation of bacteria and fungi in susceptible, intermediate and resistant categories for therapy with antimicrobial drugs and for the measurement of antimicrobial resistance development.
Coordinator:
Chairman of EUCAST (2002 - 2008)
Clinical Microbiology
Central Hospital
351 85 Växjö, Sweden
Gunnar.kahlmeter@ltkronoberg.se
Partners:
British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC),
United Kingdom
Prof. Claude-James Soussy
Comité de l'antibiogramme de la Société Française de Microbiologie (CA-SFM),
France
Dr. Arne Rodloff
Deutsche Industrie Norm-Medizinische Mikrobiologie (DIN),
Germany
Dr. Johan W Mouton
Commissie Richtlijnen Gevoeligheidsbepalingen (CRG),
Netherlands
Dr. Inga Odenholt
Swedish Reference Group for Antibiotics (SRGA),
Sweden
Dr. Martin Steinbakk
Norwegian Working Group on Antibiotics (NWGA),
Norway