The European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing - EUCAST


EUCAST is a standing committee jointly organized by ESCMID, ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control) and European national breakpoint committees. The Steering Committee is supported by a General Committee with representatives from European countries, FESCI and ISC. Experts within the fields of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, in pharmaceutical companies and susceptibility testing manufacturers are being consulted by the EUCAST Steering Committee before final decisions.

EUCAST has subcommittees on Antifungal Susceptibility Testing, Susceptibility testing of anaerobes and a subcommittee on interpretative reading and expert rules in susceptibility testing.

EUCAST has developed a disk diffusion test for routine antimicrobial susceptibility testing. ESCMID has decided to take responsibility for the development and upkeep of the EUCAST disk diffusion test over the next several years.

link to EUCAST website


Breakpoints and methods for C. diphtheriae and C. ulcerans available

Corynebacterium diphtheriae and C. ulcerans have received breakpoints and a EUCAST methodology for disk diffusion has been developed and validated. The recommendations will be part of the next update of the EUCAST breakpoint table, released on the 1st of January, 2023. However, on request we have pre-published the section dealing with methods and breakpoints for C. diphtheriae and C. ulcernas to meet the increasing needs for susceptibility testing of these pathogens and to rectify the shortcomings of breakpoints for other Corynebacterium spp. This work is the result of a collaboration between colleagues in France (Sylvain Brisse and Edgar Badell-ocando), Germany (Andreas Sing and Anja Berger) and EUCAST. Questions should be directed to gunnar.kahlmeter[at]eucast.org.