United States geographic bacteria susceptibility patterns. 1995 ASCP Susceptibility Testing Group.

Abstract

Drug resistance in microbial pathogens once considered "conquered" is now recognized as a major emerging health-care issue in many parts of the United States. There is a very real possibility this problem will continue to spread throughout our country, heralding the beginning of the "post-antibiotic era." A significant issue in dealing with this rapidly developing problem is a lack of national data presented in a reasonably rapid manner that highlights the geographic distribution of increasing resistance to antimicrobial agents. In the Fall of 1994, the Microbiology Council of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP) adopted a proposal to present geographic susceptibility and resistance patterns for selected pathogens on at least an annual basis. The American Journal of Clinical Pathology subsequently agreed to publish this information as a service to its readers. The following report is the first of these annual surveys. All laboratories submitting this information expended considerable effort to voluntarily compile the information. These data are sent to the AJCP in the spirit that all our cooperation will be needed to begin developing solutions for combating the problem of growing drug resistance in microbial pathogens. All were enthusiastic participants in this project and are to be commended, along with the ASCP, for supporting this project! We plan to continue this annual survey as long as the interest continues, and the need persists. It is clear the future of infectious diseases and clinical microbiology is filled with challenge. Only time will tell if we are able and ready to meet this new threat to our medical well-being with cooperation, energy, sufficient resources, and creative solutions.