AMR infection surveillance project launches

Researchers at the University of Liverpool have launched a surveillance project looking at antimicrobial resistance in clinical infections from companion animals (VetCLIN-AMR).

The project, which has been funded by the VMD under the National Biosurveillance Network, will rely on working together with private veterinary microbiology laboratories across the UK.

It is encouraging close collaborations to harmonise methodologies used for bacterial culture, antimicrobial susceptibility testing (C&AST) and AMR screening.

As part of the project, the team at Liverpool is offering a free proficiency testing scheme for bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of bacterial isolates from clinical specimens in cats, dogs and horses.

‘Work together’

A spokesperson for the University of Liverpool Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences said: “Proficiency testing is an important tool for improving the quality and comparability of laboratory results and provides an opportunity for laboratories to assess their internal methodology and to identify areas which could be improved to generate reliable, harmonised susceptibility data.

“The VetCLIN AMR free Proficiency Testing scheme was initially offered to laboratories participating in the first part of the project and is now opening up for all laboratories which are processing companion animal clinical samples for C&AST.”

They continued: “We are encouraging the participation of all laboratories (big or small), including veterinary practices which may have in-house laboratory facilities for C&AST, so we can work together towards the common goal of harmonisation of veterinary microbiology laboratory methodologies.”

Details of the VetCLIN AMR are online [https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/infection-veterinary-and-ecological-sciences/research/vetclin-amr/] and anyone wanting to take part can email Dorian Timofte at the university at [email protected]