Subcommittees
EUCAST subcommittees are set up to deal with specific issues or areas requiring particular expertise. Consultations and decisions on subcommittee proposals are made through the EUCAST Steering Committee.
EUCAST Subcommittee on Antifungal Susceptibility Testing
The EUCAST Subcommittee on Antifungal Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST AFST) has described standardised methodology and determines breakpoints for antifungal drugs. The subcommittee has wide geographical representation. Methods for MIC determination of yeasts and Aspergillus spp., and EUCAST breakpoints for fluconazole and voriconazole, have been published. Collaborative work on quality control strains and establishment of breakpoints is ongoing. Sources of variation in testing are being examined.
Coordinator
Dr Juan-Luis Rodriguez-Tudela
Subcommittee Members
J L Rodriquez Tudela, Chairman, ( Spain)
J P Donnelly, Secretary (The Netherlands)
M C Arendrup, Steering Committee (Denmark)
C Lass-Flörl, Steering Committee (Austria)
M Cuenca-Estrella, Steering Committee (Spain)
S Arikan (Turkey)
F Barchiesi (Italy)
J Bille (Switzerland)
E Chryssanthou (Sweden)
E Dannaoui (France)
W Fegeler (Germany)
P Gaustad (Norway)
N Klimko (Russia)
C Moore (UK)
M Richardson (Finland)
A Schmalreck (Germany)
A Velegraki (Greece)
P Verweij (The Netherlands)
EUCAST Subcommittee on Expert Rules in Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing in Europe
The Subcommittee was established in January 2006 with the remit to produce a document on "Expert Rules in Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing in Europe". The interpretive rule tables are structured to indicate the advised clinical action, any exceptions to each rule, the scientific basis with published references and an assessment of the strength of evidence supporting each rule. Version 1 of the rules is now available.
Expert rules in antimicrobial susceptibility testing in Europe
Subcommittee members:
Roland Leclercq (France; Chairman)
Rafael Canton (Spain)
Christian Giske (Sweden)
Peter Heisig (Germany)
David Livermore (UK)
Gian Maria Rossolini (Italy)
Trevor Winstanley (UK)
EUCAST Subcommittee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Anaerobe Bacteria
The EUCAST Anaerobe Subcommittee was established in June 2007 and is a joint project between EUCAST and ESGARAB (ESCMID Study Group for Antimicrobial Resistance in Anaerobic Bacteria): The subcommittee is chaired by Arne Rodloff (EUCAST and ESGARAB) and includes Luc Dubreuil and Elizabeth Nagy. The remit agreed with ESGARAB is:
- Determine whether separate columns are needed in breakpoint tables for Gram-positive and Gram-negative anaerobes.
- Determine which agents should be given anaerobe breakpoints.
- Collect MIC distributions for anaerobes.
- Consider whether a standardised method of susceptibility testing anaerobes is required.
- Suggest appropriate quality control strains for susceptibility testing.
