Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Vol 42, 29-48, Copyright © 1998 by The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
PJ Jenks, E Akalin, T Bergan, K Dornbusch, AJ Howard, W Hryniewicz, JR Jones, A King, JC McLaughlin, C Ozkuyumcu, A Percival, I Phillips, DS Reeves, R Spencer, AC Vatopoulos, R Warren and JD Williams
In order to compare the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in different
geographical areas, it is necessary to ensure agreement between
laboratories on the assignment of strains to 'susceptible' and 'resistant'
categories. An international quality assessment was performed to
investigate the performance of susceptibility testing of Klebsiella spp.
Ninety-five strains of klebsiellae were selected from clinical isolates at
the London Hospital Medical College (LHMC). These included strains with a
diversity of susceptibility profiles to amoxycillin/clavulanate,
piperacillin, ceftazidime, cefuroxime, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin and
trimethoprim. The strains were sent to 13 participating laboratories in
Europe and the USA and laboratories were asked to test the susceptibility
of these strains to these antibiotics by their usual methods. They were
also asked to provide details of the method used to test susceptibility.
Several different standard recommended testing methods were used. Reporting
of susceptibilities was generally accurate, but a number of anomalies were
noted. Discrepancies of reporting between the LHMC and the participating
laboratories was more marked for resistant strains, particularly in the
detection of resistance to cefuroxime and ciprofloxacin, as well as the
assignment of susceptibility and resistance to piperacillin and
amoxycillin/clavulanate. Some discrepancies could be attributed to the use
of different breakpoints, leading to differing assignment of
susceptibility. Methodological variations including disc content, inoculum
and failure to measure and interpret zone sizes consistently also led to
anomalies. This quality assessment programme has helped to identify
problems in susceptibility testing which should be investigated further.
REVIEWS
Susceptibility testing of Klebsiella spp.--an international collaborative study in quality assessment
London Hospital Medical College, UK. pjenks@pasteur.fr
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