Antibiograms

Principles

• Analyze and present data at least annually
• Include only species with at least 30 isolates tested
• Include diagnostic, not surveillance, isolates
• Include results only for drugs that are routinely tested
• Include the first isolate per patient in the period analyzed, irrespective of the body site from which the specimen was obtained or the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern
• Calculate the percentage susceptible; do not include the percentage of isolates with intermediate susceptibility
• For Streptococcus pneumoniae:
  • Calculate and list both the percentage susceptible and the percentage of isolates with intermediate susceptibility for penicillin
  • Calculate and list the percentage susceptible for cefotaxime or ceftriaxone using both the meningitis and nonmeningitis breakpoints
• For viridans group streptococci, calculate and list both the percentage susceptible and the percentage of isolates with intermediate susceptibility for penicillin
• For Staphylococcus aureus, calculate and list the percentage susceptible for all isolates, as well as for the subset of methicillin-resistance Staphylococcus aureus

Further Reading

• Analysis and Presentation of Cumulative Antibiograms: A New Consensus Guideline from the CLSI. Clin Infect Dis. 2007;44(6):867-873. doi: 10.1086/511864