About Us

USCAST is part of a global network dedicated to fighting the rise of antibiotic resistance through scientific, educational, and policy-creating activities.

We are one of the many EUCAST-affiliated national committees that recognize the increasing need to create a path to evaluate both new and old antibiotics in the current context of antibiotic resistance, extent of tissue penetration at the site of infection, and bacterial killing rate at that body site.

Our mission is to work with our global partners, establishing crucial standards for testing and interpreting the bacteria-killing power of antibiotics. The results we will interpret and share, allow healthcare providers to use the safest and most effective tools to save lives.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Jason M. Pogue, PharmD

Chairman

University of Michigan College of Pharmacy

Paul G. Ambrose, PharmD

Treasurer

Institute for Clinical Pharmacodynamics

Thomas P. Lodise, PharmD, PhD

Albany College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences

Sujata M. Bhavnani, PharmD, MS

Vice Chair

Institute for Clinical Pharmacodynamics

Helio S. Sader, MD, PhD

JMI Laboratories

Ronald N. Jones, MD

Emeritus member

JMI Laboratories

David R. Andes, MD

University of Wisconsin

MEMBERS

John S. Bradley, MD

University of California San Diego Rady Children’s Hospital

Stefan Riedel, MD, PhD

Harvard Medical School

Michael J. Rybak, PharmD, PhD

Wayne State University

Emil P. Lesho, DO

Infectious Diseases Unit Rochester Regional Health

Alexander J. Lepak, MD

University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Erin K. McCreary, PharmD

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Robert R. Rennie, PhD

University of Alberta Hospital

Michael A. Pfaller, MD

University of Iowa

Marc Scheetz, PharmD, MSc

Midwestern University

Keith A. Rodvold, PharmD

University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy

ADVISORS

John S. Bradley, MD

University of California San Diego Rady Children’s Hospital

Stefan Riedel, MD, PhD

Harvard Medical School

Michael J. Rybak, PharmD, PhD

Wayne State University

About Us

1.

Provide a venue (electronic and "face-to-face" meetings) for USA individual practitioners / scientists, governmental agencies, and medical societies to interact with the EUCAST/EMA regulatory process of antibiotic testing and development of interpretive criteria per EUCAST NAC SOP 5.0.

2.

Review and endorse the "best use choice" of established reference and standardized antibiotic susceptibility testing methods currently found in public domain documents for dilution and agar disk diffusion procedures. Using USA-FDA Microbiology Sections of product package inserts, CLSI tables and EUCAST published guidelines, USCAST will review all clinical breakpoints and provide best, consensus published breakpoints recommendations to the agency and for use in USA medical practice.

3.

Review new agent development data regarding those items impacting the selection of antibiotic susceptibility testing breakpoint criteria for clinical practice. New antibiotic agents will be promptly reviewed.

4.

Provide an efficient process respecting potentially sensitive, confidential information, but remaining open via full disclosures of conflicts of interest and by seeking public comment via electronic mechanisms on proposed published documents (breakpoints or test-result-based guidelines).

5.

Provide readily accessible clinical breakpoints and other guidelines for antibiotic chemotherapy related to tested available agents, on an electronic format (online/website) to minimize cost and maximize widespread clinical/laboratory utility. Rapid application of breakpoints would be facilitated by collaborations with commercial susceptibility testing device manufacturers and regulatory agencies.

6.

Seek continued support and/or participations from established investigators in the disciplines important to antibiotic breakpoint determinations.

HOMEABOUTBREAKPOINTSDOCUMENTSPRESENTATIONS

USCAST generates, integrates, and interprets data to support susceptibility interpretative test criteria for the benefit of patients. Through this website and our annual open public meeting, USCAST makes these data freely available to all interested parties.

Main Phone: 319-665-3370

Alternate Phone: 319-400-2141

Main Fax: 503-873-8552

Alternate Fax: 319-665-3371

© United States Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing 2023

© USCAST 2023

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