title: [Recommendations for selecting antimicrobial agents for in vitro susceptibility studies using automatic and semiautomatic systems].
abstract: The number of clinical microbiology laboratories that have incorporated automatic susceptibility testing devices has increased in recent years. The majority of these systems determine MIC values using microdilution panels or specific cards, with grouping into clinical categories (susceptible, intermediate or resistant) and incorporate expert systems to infer resistance mechanisms. This document presents the recommendations of a group of experts designated by Grupo de Estudio de los Mecanismos de Acción y Resistencia a los Antimicrobianos (GEMARA, Study group on mechanisms of action and resistance to antimicrobial agents) and Mesa Española de Normalización de la Sensibilidad y Resistencia a los Antimicrobianos (MENSURA, Spanish Group for Normalizing Antimicrobial Susceptibility and Antimicrobial Resistance), with the aim of including antimicrobial agents and selecting concentrations for the susceptibility testing panels of automatic systems. The following have been defined: various antimicrobial categories (A: must be included in the study panel; B: inclusion is recommended; and C: inclusion is secondary, but may facilitate interpretative reading of the antibiogram) and groups (0: not used in therapeutics but may facilitate the detection of resistance mechanisms; 1: must be studied and always reported; 2: must be studied and selectively reported; 3: must be studied and reported at a second level; and 4: should be studied in urinary tract pathogens isolated in urine and other specimens). Recommended antimicrobial concentrations are adapted from the breakpoints established by EUCAST, CLSI and MENSURA. This approach will lead to more accurate susceptibility testing results with better detection of resistance mechanisms, and allowing to reach the clinical goal of the antibiogram.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, España.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cantón
authors.forename: Juan Ignacio
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Alós
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Baquero
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Calvo
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Castillo
authors.forename: Emilia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cercenado
authors.forename: M Angeles
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Domínguez
authors.forename: Josefina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liñares
authors.forename: Lorena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: López-Cerezo
authors.forename: Francesc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marco
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mirelis
authors.forename: María-Isabel
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Morosini
authors.forename: Ferran
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Navarro
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oliver
authors.forename: Emilio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pérez-Trallero
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martínez-Martínez
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests / Q000592:standards; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents