The European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing - EUCAST

About

The European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) is a scientific committee formed in 1997. EUCAST is jointly organised by the European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), and the active National Antimicrobial Breakpoint committees (NACs) in Europe, currently: France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and The United Kingdom.

EUCAST’s missions: 

• Harmonizing antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) across Europe;
• Standardizing testing methods;
• Setting and updating clinical and epidemiological breakpoints;
• Developing AST methodology and interpretative criteria;
• Maintaining a public database of MIC and zone diameter distributions;
• Supporting education in AST;
• Collaborating with European agencies involved in antimicrobial resistance and surveillance.

EUCAST projects for 2025

• Addressing breakpoint criteria and disk diffusion for new agents.
• Developing disk diffusion methodology for Neisseria gonorrhoeae - breakpoint review and disk diffusion expected for mid-2025.
• Extending the panel of agents with breakpoints and disk diffusion criteria for anaerobic bacteria (Clostridium ramosum (now: Thomasclavelia ramosa), Clostridium innocuum, Clostridium tertium, Clostridium septicum, Cutibacterium avidum, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Finegoldia magna, Parvimonas micra, Peptostreptococcus anaerobius, Peptoniphilus spp.) - project ongoing, breakpoint discussions in EUCAST spring 2025. MIC and zone diameter data currently being analysed.
• Evaluating alternative media to MH-F for fastidious microorganisms - results and formal advice available during 2025.
• Developing reference methods and criteria for mycobacteria and for veterinary purposes, participate in the development of reference methodology for Mycobacterium spp and several veterinary agents and pathogens. Ongoing.
• Revisiting the relationship between phenotypic and genotypic AST, through the EUCAST subcommittee (chair Antonio Oliver Palomo and Örjan Samuelsson).
  Orginial publication: On the role of whole genome sequencing in antimicrobial susceptibility testing (M. J. Ellington et al., CMI 2015)
• Realeasing first recommendation on AST of bacterial phages by the EUCAST phage subcommittee.