Antimicrobial resistance surveillance in the South African private sector report for 2016

Aim: The relevance of surveillance for antimicrobial resistance is increasingly recognised in the light of a global action plan to combat resistance. This report presents antimicrobial susceptibility testing on ESKAPE pathogens from private sector laboratories in South Africa for 2016.Methods: Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) performed on ESKAPE organisms (Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter cloacae and Escherichia coli) isolated from blood cultures at four private pathology laboratories in 2016 were analysed. Analysis and reporting of data were done via a uniform platform created by the NICD for national AST data.Results: AST were reported on 9 029 ESKAPE organisms including 58% Enterobacteriaceae, 28% Gram-positive bacteria and 14% Gram-negative bacteria and drug-bug combination was performed following the Global Antimicrobial Surveillance System (GLASS) guidelines by the World ...