04.05.2020

EUCAST 2019 - 20 (Chairman´s report)

The EUCAST General Committee meeting at ECCMID 2020 was cancelled due to COVID19.

The EUCAST Steering Committee and subcommittees have, under the heading of the traditional Chairman´s report, summarised the last 12 months of activity.

In short - these were some of the major achievements during 2019-20:

• The recruitment of two new Steering Committee members with PK/PD expertise: Shampa Das and Joseph Meletiadis
• During the year EUCAST has reviewed or determined breakpoints for ceftolozane-tazobactam (new indications and dosing), amikacin, gentamicin and tobramycin, temocillin and cefiderocol.
• The release of rapid disk testing methods and breakpoints from positive blood cultures
• The implementation of the re-defined "I" category: Susceptible--increased exposure for antibacterials and antifungals
• Breakpoints forBurkholderia pseudomallei
• Alternative methods for testing Aspergillus against echinocandins
• The development of a microdilution testing method for dermatophytes
• The release of the first veterinary breakpoints for florphenicol in cattle
• The creation of the European Network for Optimisation of Veterinary Antimicrobial Treatment to further VetCAST's work
• The release of the reference broth microdilution method forMycobacterium tuberculosis
• A workshop of international stakeholders to explore the flow-on effects of the new M. tuberculosis reference method.