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Quality assessment of Microbe Base antimicrobial susceptibility data
D I Limb1, T G Winstanley, P F Wheat
1Department of Microbiology, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield.
Journal of Clinical Pathology
|December 1, 1995
Summary
This study assessed antimicrobial susceptibility data quality in a large, centralized database. While most results were accurate, some discrepancies highlight areas for improvement in data collection and analysis for antimicrobial resistance surveillance.
Area of Science:
- Medical Microbiology
- Clinical Laboratory Science
- Antimicrobial Resistance
Background:
- Centralized databases are crucial for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance.
- Ensuring the accuracy of data contributed by multiple centers is essential for reliable AMR monitoring.
- Variability in laboratory methods can impact susceptibility testing results.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the quality of antimicrobial susceptibility data submitted by regional laboratories to a central database.
- To identify potential sources of error and discrepancies in susceptibility testing results.
- To inform improvements in data quality for a national antimicrobial susceptibility database.
Main Methods:
- Twelve reference organisms were distributed to 31 participating microbiology laboratories.
- Laboratories performed routine antimicrobial susceptibility testing.
- Data on organism-antibiotic combinations were collected and analyzed.
Main Results:
- The majority of organism/antibiotic susceptibility results aligned with expected outcomes.
- Discrepancies were attributed to non-bimodal susceptibility distributions, varied disc contents, and minimum inhibitory concentrations near breakpoint values.
- Specific areas of concern for data accuracy were identified.
Conclusions:
- Large multicenter databases inevitably contain some inaccurate data.
- This study identified key areas of data discrepancy, enabling targeted interventions.
- The findings underscore the value and consistency of the Microbe Base database for national antimicrobial resistance surveillance.