EUCAST public consultations

Public consultation is part of the EUCAST decision process. The consultation period is 4 - 12 weeks, and the dates of the beginning and end of the period is clearly stated. Comments not entered into the designated document will not be considered (download form for comments).

Current public consultations.

• Consultation from the subcommittee on Antimycobacterial susceptibility testing on "Reference protocol for MIC determination of anti-tuberculous agents against
  isolates of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in Middlebrook 7H9 broth".
  Consultation period 11 March 2024 - 19 April 2024. Use the EUCAST form for comments.

Upcoming public consultations:

• Endocarditis breakpoints are under review - a consultation is planned for 2024.
• Viridans group streptococci - a breakpoint review is planned for 2024. In collaboration with French colleagues,  MIC- and zone diameter distributions and correlations have been published.  
• Nocardiae spp - breakpoints and MIC/Zone diameter distributions and criteria. 
• A version of the EUCAST dosing table relevant for children, is under preparation.
• Each year EUCAST publishes a preliminary "next breakpoint table" to allow colleagues to help us find editorial errors and to familiarize themselves with the new table. This is some weeks before the publication of the new table on the 1^st of January. It is not a consultation on changes in breakpoints or guiding “Notes”. These have been preceded by longer periods of consultation during the year.

Previous public consultations with comments and EUCAST responses:

• Consultations from VetCast: 15 Nov 2023 - 8 Jan 2024. Comments and responses will be published eventually.
  • Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid in dogs - IV
  • Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid in dogs - Oral
  • Benzylpenicillin in horses - IM
• EUCAST public consultation on proposed breakpoints for Brucella melitensis (1 Sep - 20 Oct, 2023). Comments and response. 
• EUCAST public consultation on proposed breakpoints for Bacillus anthracis (1 Sep - 20 Oct, 2023). Comments and response. 
• EUCAST public consultation on proposed changes to the 2024 (v. 14.0) breapoint table (30 Sep - 1 Nov, 2023). Comments and EUCAST response (13 Nov, 2023).
• The EUCAST public consultation on Revised breakpoints for intravenous use of fosfomycin (12 July - 12 September). Comments and responses (originally published 5 Dec 2023; revised 6 Febr, 2024, because of an error).
  See also the Guidance document on IV use of fosfomycin. 
• Breakpoints for anaerobic bacteria for additional agents aminopenicillins (with and without inhibitors), on MIC distributions for imipenem, ertapenem, and ceftriaxone and linezolid where relevant. Consultation 10 Febr - 3 March, 2023.
  The consultation is closed. Comments and EUCAST responses will be published eventually.
• Changes proposed in breakpoints for bacterial meningitis. General consultation 26 September - 7 November, 2022. Comments and EUCAST response, 2 Jan, 2023.
• Staphylococcus spp. vs. cephalosporins. General consultation 26 September - 7 November, 2022. Comments and EUCAST response, 2 Jan, 2023.
• Consultation on the availability of piperacillin and/or ticarcillin without inhibitor - if either or both of these agents are registered and available in your country, please inform the scientific secretary of EUCAST. The consultation has shown that some countries still have piperacillin without the inhibitor. EUCAST will therefore retain piperacillin in the tables. There has been no interest in keeping recommendations for ticarcillin.
• EUCAST General Consultation (closed 11 September, 2022) on Proposed revision of chloramphenicol breakpoints. Comments and EUCAST response, 31 Dec, 2022. 
• EUCAST General Consultation closed 11 September, 2022) on Breakpoints for Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Corynebacterium ulcerans. Comments and EUCAST response, 2 Dec, 2022. 
• EUCAST General Consultation on Fosfomycin IV breakpoints (14 May - 15 July 2022). Comments and EUCAST response, 8 Feb, 2023).
• Aminopenicillin breakpoints for Enterobacterales (30 Nov, 2021 - 14 Jan, 2022). Comments and EUCAST response (Dec, 2022).
• Breakpoints for anaerobic bacteria and supplementary MIC distributions (4 Oct - 15 Nov, 2021). 
  Comments and EUCAST response (2 January, 2022)
• Colistin breakpoints (6 October - 15 November, 2021). All responders agreed to the proposed change.
• Breakpoint table v 12.0. Consultation closed and finalized table published.
• Vibrio species - general consultation on EUCAST clinical breakpoints for five species pathogenic to man (1 October - 15 November). Comments and EUCAST responses (2 January, 2022).
• Breakpoint table v. 11.0 (the 2021 table, valid from the 1 January, 2021). Consultation closed 18 December, 2020. Comments and EUCAST responses (19 December, 2020)
• Fosfomycin breakpoints revision. Consultation closed 30 November, 2020. Comments and EUCAST response (15 December, 2020).
• Fluoroquinolone breakpoint adjustments (Campylobacter, Corynebacteria, Bacillus). Consultation closed  31 October, 2020. There were no comments.
• Achromobacter xylosoxidans - proposed method and breakpoints. Consultation closed 31 October, 2020. Comments and EUCAST response (15 December, 2020).
• Meningitis breakpoints - proposed EUCAST revisions. Consultation closed 16 October, 2020. Comments and EUCAST response (15 December, 2020).
• Bacillus spp (except B. anthracis) - proposed breakpoints and AST method. Consultation closed 25 September, 2020. Comments and EUCAST response (15 December, 2020).
• Piperacillin-tazobactam breakpoints for Enterobacterales - proposed change. Consultation closed 15 September, 2020. Comments and EUCAST response (15 December, 2020).
• Consultation on "Procedure for optimizing disk contents (potencies) for
  disk diffusion testing". 
  Comments and responses published 10 January, 2020. 
• Revised aminoglycoside breakpoints. Consultation closed 30 June, 2019. Comments and responses  published 2 March, 2020.
• Cefazolin breakpoints for Enterobacterales in UTI. Consultation closed 8 November 2019. No comments received. 
• The subcommittee on antifungal susceptibility testing (the EUCAST AFST) revised breakpoints and rationale documents as a consequece of the EUCAST change in the definition of the I-category and the introduction of ATU (Consultations of antifungal revised breakpoints and RDs 25 Sept- 15 Nov, 2019):
  1. Amphotericin B 
  2. Anidulafungin 
  3. Fluconazole 
  4. Isavuconazole 
  5. Itraconazole 
  6. Micafungin 
  7. Posaconazole 
  8. Voriconazole 
  9. AFST Breakpoint table v. 10. 
  Comments and EUCAST AFST response to consultation. 
• Revision of ceftolozane-tazobactam breakpoints following updated indications for the agent.
  Comments and EUCAST response (13 December, 2019)
• Temocillin clinical breakpoints - EUCAST consultation.
  Comments and EUCAST response (a file released on 9 Dec has been replaced - a section was lacking by mistake), 12 December, 2019.
• EUCAST proposed breakpoints for Burkholderia pseudomallei.
  Consultation 23 May - 30 June, 2019.
  Comments and EUCAST response 23 July, 2019.
• EUCAST proposes that agents and species currently categorised as Susceptible^HE (S^HE)
  are re-categorised as “Susceptible, increased exposure” (I).
  Comments and EUCAST response 22 Juli, 2019
• EUCAST Reference method for the determination of MICs in Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex.
  Consultation 15 May - 26 June, 2019.
  Rationale for the proposed broth microdilution MIC method in M. tuberculosis complex.
  Technical protocol for broth microdilution in M. tuberculosis complex. Microtiter plate outline. 
  Summary of development test results. 
  Comments and response. 19 July, 2019
• General consultation on revised Expert Rules guidelines (closed 1 April, 2019). Comments and response (17 June, 2019). 
• Consultation on H. influenzae and breakpoints for piperacillin-tazobactam - (closed 30 November, 2018). Comments were all in agreement with the proposal.
• Consultation on oral amoxicillin breakpoints for Streptococcus pneumoniae (closed 30 November, 2018). Comments and EUCAST response.
• Consultation on Tigecycline breakpoint amendments 2018 (closed 30 November, 2018). Comments were all in agreement with proposal.
• Consultation on Dosages and modes of administration (open until 15 Sept 2018).
  There were suggested alternative doses from approximately 10 countries. Some suggestions resulted in modifications. The current table (v 9.0) now lists the minimum exposure for EUCAST categories susceptible at standard exposure and susceptible atincreased exposure.
• EUCAST General Consultation on Revision of carbapenem breakpoints (closed15 Sept, 2018). Comments and EUCAST responses. 
• Consultation on breakpoint changes necessary with new definitions of S, I and R categories (closed 4 November, 2018). There were no comments.
• MIC distributions and the determination of ECOFFs - general consultation (following a finalised consultation with the subcommittee). General consultation, May 1st - May 31st, 2018.
  No comments received. The document will now be integrated in EUCAST SOP 10.
• 3rd consultation on modifying the definitions of S, I and R and introducing the Area of Technical Uncertainty. General consultation, 23 February - 10 April, 2018.
  EUCAST Responses to comments on "Modifying definitions of S, I and R", 17 May, 2018.
• Oral dosing of amoxicillin and amoxicillinclavulanic acid in S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae - General consultation, 7 February - 23 March 2018.
• Breakpoint tables v8.0 2018 (18 December, 2017). 
  All comments were related to typographical errors and these have been corrected. and the updated table published on the EUCAST website 1 January, 2018.
• The proposed revision of voriconazole breakpoints (15 December, 2017). There were no comments and the changes were implemented following the end of the consultation period.
• The proposed removal of macrolide breakpoints for Haemophilus influenzae.
  Proposal accepted without comments. Breakpoints were removed in breakpoint tables v 8.0 2018.
• The proposed breakpoints for Aeromonas and Plesiomonas. Deadline for comments 17 November, 2017. Proposal accepted without significant comments. Breakpoints were included in breakpoint tables v 8.0 2018.
• Proposal to change Moraxella catharrhalis fluroquinolone breakpoints. Proposal accepted without comments. Breakpoints were included in breakpoint tables v 8.0 2018.
• Proposed SOP for "MIC distributions and the determination of epidemiological cut-off values (ECOFFs)" (Consultation 2017) from the EUCAST Subcommittee on MIC distributions and ECOFFs. The SOP accepted and published on the website 2017. 
• Revision of EUCAST guidelines for detection of resistance mechanisms and specific resistances
  of Clinical and/or epidemiological importance". Consultation 2017.
  - Comments and Responses.
• Breakpoints for Aerococcus spp and Kingella kingae.
  - Comments and responses.' (Consultation 2016, proposal accepted and included in breakpoint tables 2017)
• Revision of fluoroquinolone breakpoints.
  - Comments and responses.
• Revision of the colistin breakpoint for Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
  - Comments and responses.
• Report from the EUCAST Subcommittee on the role of whole genome sequencing (WGS)
  in antimicrobial susceptibility testing.
  - Comments and responses.
• 2nd consultation on the EUCAST proposed changes in the definition of the intermediate
  category (closed on 15 Sept 2017).
  - Comments and responses to the proposed modification of "intermediate" (2017-10-09). 
• 1st consultation on the EUCAST proposed changes in the definition of the intermediate
  category (2015-12-03).
  - Comments and responses.
• Nitroxoline breakpoints
  - Comments and responses.
• Revision of Expert rules (v 3.0)
  - Wide consultation 2016: External comments and Steering Committee and Subcommittee responses.

Comments not entered into the designated document (Document for comments) will not be considered.